Wherever The Wind Takes Us
by Finlaure13
Summary: Auggie and Annie have come through more pain and secrets and trials than most couples. But they have somehow managed to get past the events of the past year, and now, to recharge and heal, they are embarking on a vacation to celebrate their surviving and strengthening love for each other. Post Season five. This is my sequel to my previous story, Trade-up.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, then! Who knows how long I can keep going with this, since we STILL have no word or sign or signal from the Big Folks of Covert Affairs, who own these characters, and I have never made any money off of them, though I HAVE made some pretty wicked awesome friends. A Fair Deal, I say. So. Let the Games Begin.**

Wherever The Wind Takes Us.

Chapter 1

"Good morning, August," Annie said, curling around him, a smile of total contentment in her still-sleepy voice.

"Good morning, Anne." Auggie felt the smile across his face, as he pulled her closer.

"It's today."

"It's today." He traced his finger along her shoulder, feeling more relaxed than he had in over a year.

"You still won't tell me where it is we're going?"

"Nope." Auggie gave her a smug grin. "I told you, be ready for everything."

"A girl can't pack for everything."

"Since when are you a packer?"

He felt her chin on his chest, as she peered up at him. "This isn't a mission. This is life."

Auggie sighed, happily. "Yes, it is. And we're about to go live some of it."

"And you won't tell me?"

"You can beg, you can plead, you can throw yourself at my feet, and I will not spill a word."

"Is it Barbados?"

"Nope."

"Hawaii?"

"Nope."

"Your parents' house?"

Auggie grinned. "Nope."

"Gawd, not _my_ parents house."

"Nope."

"Munich?"

Auggie laughed. "Stop, I'm not going to tell you."

"Will you at least tell me what I should wear first?"

Auggie rolled over, closing the space between them. "What you're wearing now seems fine to me."

Annie burst out laughing. "I doubt the airlines would feel the same."

"I don't know, you're pretty impressive."

"How do you know, you've never actually _seen_ me naked."

"Are you kidding me? I get the best close-up look of everyone." He nuzzled her neck, and she giggled and sighed at the same time.

"We'd better get a move on, Soldier, if we have to make this elusive plane heading to this secretive land you're so intent on keeping quiet."

"I'm a spy, Annie. It's what I do." He gave her one more kiss and let her sit up. After she climbed from the bed, he followed suit, and put on a pair of sweatpants to go make some breakfast while Annie showered. As he was heading for the stairs, she caught him from behind, and turned him back to her, kissing him passionately. He almost lost his balance from the sheer emotion behind it, but held her fast.

"Okay," he said, his mouth still on hers. She pulled away and he said, with a quirky grin, "Didn't you just tell me we'd better get a move on?"

"I may have."

"Then we best get to it. I can't wait to see the world with you, Annie Walker."

"I can't wait to see it with _you_, August Anderson."

He closed his eyes, remembering a week and a half ago, and he reached out for her cheek. "We'll take the stars with us. Now, get ready. I'll make us something to start our day right. It may or it may not involve eggs, depending on what is in that 'fridge." He turned back to the stairs and started heading down as he spoke.

"There're eggs!" Annie called after him. "And there's cheese!"

"Okay, then, we know what the lady wants!"

Auggie busied himself in his kitchen. They'd worked at cleaning out as much of the 'fridge as they could, and Auggie had given Barber his key to come check on the apartment and eat whatever he wanted that was left.

He'd packed a suitcase; he thought he had accounted for everything he would need. He included a second spare cane and a book in Braille, and his labeller, in case. He also added the laptop that McQuaid had given him. It was top of the line, and took over for several of his other gadgets all at once.

He was starting to get excited. The world at his feet, Annie by his side, freedom from the spy stuff. They didn't need to hide, or keep vigil. They were just two people in love on vacation. He did hope for a bit of excitement along the way, he wouldn't be who he was without a little bit of a thrill. But the whole journey itself gave him immense pleasure.

He was just managing the plates and trying to make sure the portions were even when Annie came into the kitchen, and snuck behind him, wrapping her arms around his bare waist.

"I'm so ready for this," she said.

He turned into her. "Are you? I thought you'd miss the chase."

He didn't see her close her eyes and the flash of pain that crossed her face. "I've lost a lot, Auggie. I lost who I was."

"I know. We're gonna find it." Auggie's smile brought Annie's own back. "Maybe in the jungle hunting Bengals for the perfect photograph. Or in the Antarctic, with the Penguins."

Annie looked at Auggie, and his grin was infectious. "Are those on the list?"

Auggie just smiled and turned back to his task at hand.

After they'd eaten, Auggie headed to the shower, while Annie tidied up. She returned to the loft bedroom and made the bed, her hands lingering on Auggie's pillow, her thoughts only positive and filled with love for this man who, for all intents and purposes, had never given up on her. Never. She'd never understand how he had so much faith in her, even when he was so angry and upset that she had lied, had ran, had hidden. But she would never forget that thought now. She wouldn't let him down again. He'd given her everything. Almost his life.

She turned as he came out of the bathroom, his hair wet and curling around his neck. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She watched his hands as they searched through the remaining clothes in his closet, reading the Braille tags and touching the fabrics. He turned in her direction, a questioning look on his face.

"Are you watching me, Walker?"

A smile bloomed on her face. "I can't keep my eyes off you."

Auggie grinned and came to her, his hands out, finding her. "That's fair, because I can't keep my hands off _you_."

She laughed. "Come on, the cab will be here soon. Have we got everything?"

"I hope so." Auggie started buttoning up the shirt he'd put on over a t-shirt. "But all I really need is you."

"Hokey," Annie groaned. "But adorable."

"And my cane."

"Predictable."

"And traveller's cheques."

"Okay. I got it. I'm moving down the list."

Auggie grabbed her and kissed her. "You're only always at the top of my list." He stepped back. "Look around. Are we missing anything?"

"Nope. I think we got it."

"Ah, well, we can always stop back if we need something. DC is a good central point." Auggie felt on his bedside table for the one last piece of equipment he needed: his watch. He was back to using his old watch, after losing his new one in his struggle. He would get a new one, he'd decided, but for now, the old one would suffice as well as it always had. That done, he turned and followed Annie down the stairs.

The cab would be here soon. Auggie found his boots and pulled them on. He'd miss his apartment, and the familiarity of it and the streets below it. But he was ready for this, he was ready to make his way into a good adventure with Annie: together. They could do anything together.

They gathered their suitcases. Auggie put his messenger over his shoulder across his chest, and put the rest of his things in it. They stepped outside the apartment and Auggie pulled the door shut, locking it.

He turned. "Ready?"

"You bet."

Auggie felt nothing but joy and anticipation at that moment. He bent and found the handle on his suitcase, and Annie bumped her hand into his. He smiled, letting his hand slide up her arm and fitting into the familiar place that was so comfortable for them both now. They took the elevator downstairs, neither saying anything but feeling everything.

Auggie heard the cab pull up, and Annie signalled to him to step forward. She helped him maneuver the suitcases into the trunk of the cab, and then they climbed in the back, holding hands, Annie leaning somewhat against him as she looked out the window.

At the airport, Auggie asked an airport worker to take them to the right departure area. He knew Annie would catch on as soon as they got there, but he wanted to prolong her surprise as much as he could. They were seated in the waiting area, and Annie peered at all the screens, trying to figure out which flight it was that Auggie had them on.

"You know that won't help," Auggie almost sang to her. "I could have made connecting flights."

He felt her open hand lightly hit his jacket. "You're infuriating."

Auggie smiled a smile that said he was very smug about his planning, and that he was not going to divulge anything until he had to.

"I will figure it out."

"I expect nothing less."

"Flight 170 to LAX," came the announcement. Auggie gathered his stuff and stood.

"LA?" Annie said, standing beside him, grabbing her carry-on luggage.

"I don't know. Did someone say LA?" Auggie moved her forward, and Annie eyed him suspiciously.

"What are you up to?" she wondered aloud.

"You know me," Auggie said. "Always up to something. Come on, my dear, let's get us to the gate. An adventure awaits us."

The whole world awaited them. Auggie could not wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Christmas Eve, yo! And I'm spending it with these two. And now you are, too. Merry Christmas, everybody, I Love You Guys! Here is my little present.**

**I don't own Covert Affairs, I don't own their characters, I don't own a Porche or a theatre-screen TV. I do own the computer I wrote this on. And so you'll likely see more.**

Chapter 2

Annie had given up the window seat to Auggie. Halfway through the flight, when she got up to refresh herself, he moved to her seat.

She came back, and slid in beside him. "You're giving up your window seat? Wow. Big gesture, Blind Man."

"I'm nothing if not magnanimous,"

Annie snorted as she settled into the seat. "So," she switched gears. "L.A. Auggie, you didn't plan something with Danielle, did you?"

Auggie only produced a shadow of a smile and closed his eyes, his head resting back.

"I don't think she's ready to see me, Auggie."

"Well, beside the fact that _that_ is totally wrong, I never said anything about Danielle."

"I know you didn't." She got comfortable, and took his hand, looking out the window.

"Do you like waterfalls?" Auggie asked, out of the blue.

"What?" she laughed.

"Or hot springs?" He threw it out lightly. He absolutely adored teasing this woman. He used to tease Tash, and she would become defensive. He'd tried teasing Hayley. Her retorts were almost mean, now that he thought about it. Parker was a good sport, and she had thrown her own comebacks back at him easily. But not like Annie.

"I'm not even going to ask any more." Annie slapped the hand she held.

Auggie said nothing; he just kept his eyes closed and the faintest smile on his face.

Annie located their luggage, knowing now as she had suspected that this wasn't a connecting flight but their first destination. They headed out into the arrivals gate, pulling their luggage behind them, and Annie, by habit, scanned the crowd waiting for loved ones.

Auggie felt her stiffen and slow. She must have seen Danielle.

"Auggie?" she questioned softly. Auggie let go of her arm and gave her a little push. He heard her take a step and then she was off, running toward her sister. He could hear them both talking and crying at the same time, and he smiled to himself. He couldn't actually understand anything either of them was saying between the sobbing and the noise of the æroport.

After a moment, Annie came back for him, guiding him toward her sister.

"Auggie," Danielle said, quietly, in front of him, and she wrapped her arms around the man her sister loved, _had loved, still loved_. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

Auggie responded in kind. "Thank-_you_. She needs you." He nodded and smiled at her as he stepped back. Annie touched the back of his hand and he automatically took her arm. Danielle stood there for a moment, just taking them in.

"Okay. Come on, the car is this way. I had a hell of a time parking, this place is crazy at the Holidays. Annie, I'm still mad at you, you know. But I'm really glad you're both here. Really. I might seem a little crazy about it, but I've had time to think about it... and... well, it has been good to talk to you on the phone. And it's just crazy in general, Chloe is driving me crazy about boys and movies and Katia had her recital last night, and Michael was out of town until this morning. I have cookie and pastry dough in the 'fridge, I'm _not_ finished wrapping the little things for the girls' stockings."

Auggie felt Annie reach up and squeeze the hand he had around her elbow. It was her thank-you smile to him as they followed Danielle to the car.

Auggie sat in the front, and he wasn't sure if Annie wanted him there because Danielle would talk _his_ ear off instead of hers, or just because she could climb in and out so easily of the minivan hatch that she automatically gave him the prime seat. Either way, he loved her.

Danielle _did_ talk. She told them what the girls were up to, and how Michael's job was working out for the better, and how her own catering business was really starting to get known in her area. Auggie had a feeling she talked so that she didn't have to hear what Annie had been doing in her own "post-mortem". How Auggie had almost died at the hands of a sociopath. How they almost weren't here, right now, listening to how Katia had wanted a new princess bed, but because of that, now Danielle figured that after Christmas they would have to repaint the bedroom, and Chloe didn't want a princess theme.

And it was perfect. Auggie hadn't really celebrated Christmas since... he couldn't even remember. There may have been a year when Helen made him get a tree and bring it home on the roof of the car. He remembered stringing the lights on that tree. They were those twinkle ones that were made in series. And it was always the last bulb he checked, or at least near the end of the string. That was one thing he never had to worry about ever again.

Auggie thought about the chaos that would be happening at the Brookses' house. Adventure, he they came. There would be a tree, kids running around, food, glasses of drinks _everywhere._ He figured he had to start somewhere, and jumping right into the insanity might be the best way to just do it.

As they pulled in and parked, Annie got out, pulling the luggage behind her as Auggie climbed out, trailing the side of the vehicle until Annie's contact arrived seamlessly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Auggie?" Annie asked him earnestly. "This could be..."

"I know," Auggie was grinning foolishly.

She stopped, turning him toward her. "You would do all of this for me."

"I _have _done it, and, you bet, Walker. I told you, I'm with you one hundred percent. This is your family. You love them. I love you. Ergo," he smirked, "I love them."

"Even if you trip over everything, and the girls knock you down when there's ice-cream?"

He winked at her. "Especially then."

"You're quite the catch, Captain Anderson." She tucked her arm through his and guided him to the door. If this was anyone but Annie, Auggie would have changed the hold. But she never steered him wrong. He couldn't remember one time that she let him trip or run into anything. And it was easy enough for a sighted person to do. While they _knew_ Auggie was blind, and they were guiding him for that very reason, they also forgot what he couldn't see would happen to him unless they were vigilant. They forgot to think of these things because they saw them so easily and it registered so fast, it seemed almost impossible he couldn't, when he was standing right there next to them in the same space.

"I know you can't see," one girl had said. "I just forgot you couldn't see _that_." She was referencing a shelf that Auggie had managed to totally knock down when he clipped it straight on, though he was being guided.

"Let the games begin," said Auggie.

Inside, the air exploded with noise as the trio entered the house. The girls were out in the hallway, wanting to see their aunt, wanting to see Auggie, curious about them both, and both incredibly shy about it. They flitted in and out, until Michael shushed them away, greeting his sister-in-law and Auggie warmly. He hadn't ever met Auggie, but he shook Auggie's offered hand and asked him if he or Annie would like a drink.

They ordered up wine, and then Danielle took Annie and Auggie to the room they were staying in for the next few days.

"Okay," Danielle said, "Uh. Take as long as you need. I'm sorry it's so crazy, ohhh. Auggie I am so sorry for all the... everything."

"It's fine, Danielle. It's perfect."

"Well, okay. Okay. See you in a bit." She stepped back, closing the door.

Annie groaned through a smile. "Agghhh, Auggie, she hasn't changed at all."

"And that's bad?"

Annie sat on the bed. She pulled him gently down beside her, but he stopped halfway to feel the bed below him.

"No. That's good. At least something has stayed the same."

"This is going to be okay. She loves you, Annie. Even I can see _that_ plainly."

"Thanks to you."

"No, you called her. You kept trying. She kept trying. You guys know you owe it to each other."

"Well. It seems good. She's... I don't know, I feel like she's avoiding something, but there's no time to avoid something." She paused, and, as if Auggie had said something, she said, "I'll make the time. We'll talk."

"Okay. So now, let's go get wined up and try to follow what in hell goes on at one of these Christmas Eve events."

"Hells, yeah," Annie said, and they headed back to the main part of the house.

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After the chaos had quieted, and Annie and Auggie both answered every question either by deferral, avoidance, or truth, they sat in the living room area, the evergreen tree lit and sparkling, and their wine glasses refilled. The girls were calmly trying to stay out of the notice of their parents, to stay up longer.

Finally, Danielle remembered that Santa wouldn't come if the girls were not in bed. Chloe groaned and Katia grew worried.

"Aww, I don't want to go to bed, Mother," said Chloe, trying to sound grown up, as she hoped she was now.

"Can Aunt Annie and Auggie put us to bed?" Katia asked.

"Oh, yeah, pleeeease, Mom?" Chloe chimed in.

"I don't know," argued their mother. "Annie is tired-"

"I'd love to put you guys to bed." Annie said, and she stood. Auggie stood beside her, catching her arm as she headed after the girls. He was thinking about his own childhood. It had been chaos there, too. Boys, everywhere. His mother was a saint, he thought now.

"Wow, girls, I like your room." Annie said. "Who picked the polka dots and stripes combo?"

"We both did." Chloe said. "I'm going to be an interior designer."

"Are you?" Auggie let go of Annie's arm so she could wander around her nieces' bedroom. He stood, leaning on his cane, which he had chosen to continue to use in this unfamiliar house with its constantly changing melange. He soaked in the sounds: Annie's bare feet padding on the soft carpet, Chloe, walking behind her, showing her things, Katie, bouncing slightly on her bed in anticipation and excitement over all the events going on in the house.

"Auggie?" Katia's smaller voice brought his attention straight to her.

"Yes, Katia?"

He never knew what children were going to ask him. Usually it was pretty cool, or at least hilarious. Kids surprised you.

"Do you know any Christmas stories, too?" She had been told by her sister for ages that Auggie knew _everything_. Now, Chloe wasn't hinting that she had even mentioned Auggie in any conversations with her sister.

Auggie took one step towards her bouncing voice, gently sliding his cane out perpendicularly to find the edge of the bed. He found it and slid his hand down to follow it to sit next to the little girl.

"What makes you think I know Christmas stories?" Auggie teased her, scrunching his face a little at her.

"'Cause Chlo said you know _everything_."

"I did not say he knows _everything_," corrected her big sister, quickly. "Shut up, Kat."

"Hey, hey," Annie said, patting the bed for Chloe to come get ready. "None of that. It's Christmas."

"Annie?"

"Yeah, Chlo?"

"Why did Mom tell us you died?"

"She thought I did, Hun. I was lost. No-one knew where I was. They thought... they thought the worst."

"Did you know where you were?" Katia piped up.

Auggie waited. Annie paused long enough that he knew she wasn't ready to even discuss that notion with children. He cleared his throat and began to disassemble his cane. "Okay, who wants to hear a Christmas story?"

"Yay! I do!" Auggie could feel Katia bouncing even more, and he reached over and pulled her toward him, his contact instantly reeling her in a bit. She scrambled under his arm and proceeded to appear quite content.

"Annie?" Auggie asked, trying to gauge exactly what she was feeling at the moment when he so needed to see her face. Was she laughing at him, or bewildered, or intrigued, or embarrassed?

"I want to hear one, Auggie. Tell us." Her words were simple, but the tone wasn't. He knew he was about to impress her again. It made him smile that abashed grin to himself. Sometimes he forgot that others could see his thoughts so plainly on his face, and he just let them fly.

"Well. I know one I can do off by heart. School play," he shrugged, as if that was an excuse for what he was about to do. He squeezed the little girl once, and then he began _'Twas The Night Before Christmas._ He did it with as much intonation, inflection, and expression as he could manage. He knew he was describing things with his free hand in the air. When he got to the climactic bits, he gave his little companion a squeeze. When he finished, the three females clapped and giggled. Auggie heard Annie tucking Chloe in, and then she came over and did the same for Katia. She hugged and kissed them both. Katia wanted a hug from Auggie, too, but Chloe just smiled and thanked him and wished him a Merry Christmas. She was a young lady, Auggie thought, and she wasn't over her earlier embarrassment of her appreciative impression of her aunt's boyfriend.

Back in the living room, the two couples caught up in earnest. Michael held his wife's hand to ground her emotions a little, and Auggie kept his hand on Annie's back, connecting them. He was there for her. No matter what, she had his back. The tone was somber and quiet. Danielle admitted to Annie that she never really thought Annie was dead. Michael agreed that Danielle had never believed it, despite Auggie at her side at Annie's funeral, despite all the evidence, despite that Annie didn't come home.

"It was that postcard. I thought if you didn't know I'd be wondering, you wouldn't have sent it. I thought you were telling me it would be okay."

"I want it to be. If there had been any other way."

"Are you guys done? I mean, with the CIA? I mean, can I say it? I don't even know what was happening with you, Auggie, but it was bad, I could tell from her voice on the phone. And I'm not blind; I can see you still have a black eye and cuts. Are you guys safe? What kind of life is this?"

"The only one we know," Annie said.

Michael stood up. "Come on, honey. We should let these two rest up. Turn off the lights?"

"Sure," Annie said, and they were left after actual heartfelt hugs of relief and wishes for a Merry Christmas.

Annie fell beside Auggie, snuggling into his side. It was quiet, so she began to describe the Christmas tree to him softly. She told him about the lights and the glass icicles and the handmade ornaments made by children's fingers. Auggie drank in her words, and turned them in his head into a vivid picture.

"It feels weird without snow," Annie sighed, having finished telling him about the paper and ribbons, and the stockings on the wall over the gas fireplace.

"It feels weird in general," Auggie sighed, too. :"But it's definitely a good weird."

"You like this?"

Auggie cocked his head, quirking his mouth, as if admitting that he might kind of like this atmosphere, or at least, he could get used to it.

"Ha, ha, wait until tomorrow, Tough Guy. That's when the gloves and the wrapping paper come off. It could be a bloodbath for a blind guy."

"What about a sexy blind guy?"

Annie pretended to consider it. "Well, I might be tempted to come to the aid of a _sexy_ blind guy. You ready for bed?"

Auggie found his folded cane beside him and stood. "I was ready as soon as we left it this morning," he grinned, waiting for her groan. Which came as she remembered to turn off the Christmas lights and the fire.

"Come on, Santa. You have some stockings to fill."

He couldn't help but laugh out loud from the sultry tone she spun in her voice. He covered his mouth and let her go ahead of him. He followed with his fingers grazing her back, keeping in tune with her directions,

Once in the bedroom and tucked under Danielle's clean-smelling bedding, Annie shook her head in amazement at Auggie.

"If this is your start, where do you go from here? I mean, a performance of _'Twas The Night Before Christmas_? I love this, Auggie. I love you."

"I love you, too, Walker. And if that was a sneaky way of trying to get me to tell you what my plans for us are, then you just failed your first spy-game. You forget, you're against the master." He snuggled down, pretending to be disinterested in the whole thing by this point. "I just hope you like sea turtles, is all."

He could not help the laugh that came when Annie reached over and poked him in the chest, and he rolled over to embrace her.


	3. Chapter 3

**I own no part of Covert Affairs except my heart, which is somehow entirely theirs now.**

**Thank you, readers. I cannot thank you enough for your support and the love!**

Chapter 3

The sound of the girls running down the hall in the morning woke both Auggie and Annie up. They heard the girls opening their parents' bedroom, whispering, giggling, only pretending to try and be quiet. They heard Danielle moan and tell the girls it was too early, that they needed to keep the noise down, that they would wake up their aunt.

They then heard a single pair of footsteps head toward their room. Fortunately, because there were children, both Annie and Auggie were decent as they cuddled together under the covers. Auggie squeezed Annie's hand, knowing what was about to happen. The door was barely perceptible as it slowly open. Auggie felt Annie squeeze back twice, and he heard a catch in her breath, giving him the clue that she was finding whatever she was seeing to be quite funny. She didn't move, so Auggie, too, stayed motionless. He heard the footsteps creep over to Annie's side of the bed.

"MOM! Katia's in Annie's room!" Chloe tattled from the hall.

Michael was the one to shout Katia's name, a bark, really. Auggie heard footsteps heading down the hall, and then Danielle whispered in the door.

"Katia! What did I tell you?"

Annie reached out at the moment the little girl's attention was drawn, and grabbed her wrist. Katie jumped, giving a shriek. Annie pulled her right into the bed with them.

Danielle stepped in the door. "Oh my God, Katia! Get out here right this minute! Annie, I am so sorry. Auggie, I am so, so sorry. _Katia_!"

Annie held her tightly, and kissed her cheek and neck, greedily. Then she nudged the little girl up and Katia grudgingly headed back to the door.

"It's okay, Dani. We were expecting it. Don't you remember when we would go wake up Mom and Dad every twenty minutes?"

"Oh yeah! " Danielle sounded happy for a minute. "Remember when Dad threatened to actually sew us into our sleeping bags one night?"

"I do." Annie said. Auggie heard the moment. The moment when she realised she was talking to her sister again.

"I'm glad you're here," Danielle said.

"Me, too."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll... leave you alone... uh... We'll be... uh, out there. If you want something to eat or... Just... do whatever you need to do. Okay? I love you!" And she bolted from the room, realising the awkward moment was getting more so.

Auggie slid his hand across Annie's belly, pulling her close. "What was _that_ all about?"

"I'm not sure," Annie shrugged, her voice dragging out the words.

"This is the best Christmas ever."

"I know. They really do it well."

Auggie smiled. He was glad she had had her sister and Danielle's family to come home to for so many years. They had given her the grounding, the connection to home. Auggie appreciated that, and he hoped it meant that Annie missed having a warm family, that maybe she was drawn to this life, too.

He felt Annie looking at him, and he turned his face to her, waiting.

"Have you ever celebrated Christmas since you were an adult...?"

"I'm a guy, Annie. I do the obligatory."

"You've never had a Christmas at home?"

Auggie swallowed. "I did. With Helen."

There was a pause. "I'm glad, then. We kind of miss the regular stuff." She rested her cheek against his shoulder. "It's starting to become apparent... when Danielle moved... it was so much easier for me to have no ties. No emotional links. I've missed her, Auggie. I don't want to be alone in the world, fighting for justice. I want to fight for justice for the ones I love. And be here for them." She turned, looking up at him again. "For you."

Auggie hugged her to him. "You are. You are now. Talk to her, Annie, tell her these things. You guys are each other's blood. When I first met you, I was impressed with that close tie you and she shared. She would rip a hippo's head off for you, Annie. You always were so concerned about her. About their family. Your family. It worried me that you wouldn't contact her."

"So, after you made me call her, now you've set this whole little thing up, you must be feeling pretty proud of yourself."

Auggie nodded, a smug grin on his face. "I am."

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Breakfast was hurried through, stockings and gifts were torn through amid squeals and hugs and shouts. Auggie had been given the comfortable easy chair near the tree, and Annie sat on the floor against his knees, helping Danielle to pass out gifts. He had a mug of ridiculously good coffee in his hand, and he knew he couldn't keep the smile off his face, listening to the joy of the two girls as their belief in Santa returned full-blast. Annie was coming back. He'd felt it over and over and over, and here, amongst her beloved family, Annie was finding herself, her reasons, her story. She'd changed; sure, things had happened to her that would change how she saw things. But, like Auggie had done himself, she started recognising parts of herself that kept popping back without her intention. And she liked those parts and people.

After the tree chaos had abated, Annie and Danielle headed to the kitchen to work on Christmas dinner. Michael made work of sorting out the paper and boxes and bows and tidying up. He and Auggie talked about the kids' excitement, about the price of Christmas trees out here, about the weather and the traffic. Auggie liked Michael, but he felt like Michael couldn't come up with conversation, thinking he and Auggie had nothing in common to talk about. This, so far, had been true. Nevertheless, Michael was Danielle's husband, and Auggie wanted to get to know the man.

The girls ran in and out, picking things from under the tree as they went. There were arguments about who touched someone else's stuff, and whether the box of cherry chocolates should be opened yet. Michael was trying to put some toy together on the other side of the room. Auggie wished he could offer to help. He was feeling a bit useless.

A small form walked over and stood to the right of his chair. He turned and smiled at her.

"Could you ever see, Auggie?" _Chloe_.

"Yes, I could see for most of my life, Chloe."

"Oh." Chloe studied him. Auggie felt Katia approach beside her sister.

"Do you know what a Christmas tree looks like?" the younger sister asked.

Auggie grinned at her. "I sure do! I used to have to go get one out of the woods for my family when I was a kid."

Katia giggled, but Chloe was still serious. "How did you become blind, Auggie?" she asked him softly.

"I was a soldier in the army, honey. I fought in Iraq, and... something bad happened when I was trying to help people."

"You're blind because you fought for us?"

Auggie wasn't sure how to answer. The question was too loaded for a Christmas morning with children.

He didn't have to answer. Chloe had her arms around Auggie's neck, hugging him.

"Thank you! Thank you for serving our country," she whispered to him.

Katia, not wanting to be outdone, did the same. "Thank you for going to fight the bad guys for us, Auggie. Thank you for giving your seeing for us."

Auggie was amazed, and a little choked up, he admitted to himself. He hugged the two little girls back. For these little girls, he'd do it all again. He let them go and smiled at them both, keeping a hand on each of their arms for contact. "I'm okay, though, right?" He felt both of them nodding. "Cool."

Michael had gone off to look for some tools. The putting-together of the gifts had proven too much for him.

Auggie listened to the noise in the kitchen from the preparations. He could hear Michael banging away at something out near the door that led to the garage. Annie brought him another cup of coffee. The girls were playing, arguing, laughing, and being sisters on their most exciting morning of the year. Auggie stood, opening his cane, carefully manoeuvring to the front door, following his mental map. He stepped out the door, into the cool December. He swung his cane to the right, looking for a chair on the porch. The cane clanged in contact with a chair leg, and he leaned down, reaching out and touching it, checking it, and then sitting, letting his cane rest against his shoulder.

It was quieter today. The traffic in the suburban street was barely moving. He could hear the sounds from within the house, and they filled him with a sense of security and comfort. Why? Why now? He'd been a single man, looking for comfort and love, not finding it, and then... Annie. And then... Auggie shook his head. And now... All this made him realise what he'd wanted all along, what had driven those big arguments with Tash, was this exact thing. Family. A home. Normal. But there was no normal.

Why couldn't there be? He was rethinking this earlier thought he'd told Annie. Joan and Arthur had their own normal. And it was working for them. Why couldn't there be something like this? He'd been wrong about many things, why not the idea that he and Annie couldn't have normal?

The door creaked open.

"Hi," Annie said, softly. "Too much for you in there?"

Auggie smiled, and patted his knee. He wasn't sure if there was another chair around or not. She came over, and he could smell her hot coffee in her hands.

"It's chilly," she said, perching on his knee, leaning into him a bit.

"It's nice. And no, I just wanted to come listen out here. It doesn't sound like Christmas here."

Annie chuckled. "No?"

Auggie shook his head. "Or smell like it."

"Well, to let you know, it doesn't look like it here, either."

"I gathered," he said, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Maybe next year we can be somewhere where it does sound and smell like Christmas."

Auggie grinned at her. "Yeah? I dunno. Here is pretty good, too."

"They really love you," Annie said.

"Well, you chose a great guy," said Auggie seriously. Annie elbowed him, careful of their coffees, but needing to get her reaction through to him. He burst out laughing and leaned over and kissed her cheek, missing her mouth by inches. She leaned back and kissed him properly on the lips.

"Thank you, Auggie."

"You never have to thank me."

"I _always_ have to thank you. Nobody's ever done for me the things you have done. I mean, when Danielle was talking about you going to meet her at the Smithsonian and the whole passport thing... You have done those things for me ever since I met you."

"It's about time you noticed," he deadpanned.

"I noticed. I noticed you."

They sat there for a while, until Annie shivered from the cold. She stood, taking Auggie's offered hand, and pulled him up. They moved together as a unit to the door. It was amazing, Auggie thought, how easy it was. They moved together, they worked together, they thought together as a unit. It was time they should live together as a unit. He needed her. And he knew above all else now, that she needed him. She had been lost, and Auggie knew without a doubt that never giving up on her had been profound. He wasn't about to boast about this, but he kept it tucked inside, so that he wouldn't falter if she did.

As they came in, the family sounds grew louder again, and Danielle joked aloud that she'd wondered where they'd gone, if they'd fled from all the action, noise, and confusion.

"We never run from action," Auggie said, and Annie squeezed his arm. "This is just our thing." As Katia ran past, Auggie called to her. "Katia? Where's that Battleship game? I'm ready for some action."

Katia ran back, taking Auggie's hand. Annie and her sister gave each other sisterly looks. Annie's was the look of the love she had for this man. Danielle's was of love and happiness for her sister's joy, and for having them both here.

"Coming, Annie?" Auggie called behind as Katia led him through the maze to a space on the living room floor. "I'll let you sink my battleship."

Annie rolled her eyes at Danielle with a grin. "Coming, Auggie."

Stepping into the living room, she looked with pure love at Auggie, who was sitting on the floor, letting Katia run his hands over the pieces and board as she took them out. Chloe sat beside Auggie on the other side, watching with interest, as he included her in the game, too.

Danielle stood beside her.

"I think you're finally home," she told her little sister.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm ending this Old Year with some Walkerson love, because we didn't get enough to send the year out with contentment. I hope you guys like this little romantic New Year's that Auggie planned for Annie. I will post part two with all good intentions, tomorrow night. But don't worry, people who are enjoying this! (and if you're not, why are you reading chapter 4?) A New Year brings new adventures on Auggie and Annie's little tour of non-CIA life. Stay tuned.**

** And blagh, blagh, blagh, I don't make money off anything because I don't own Covert Affairs, blagh, blagh, blagh, But I do take pride in making Walkerson fans happy. Someone has to!**

Chapter 4

The cab pulled away and Auggie could still hear the calls of Danielle and the girls shouting their goodbyes. He put his arm around Annie, knowing she was tearing up, but also smiling from her happiness. She didn't say anything, and he knew he was right.

As the wheels whirred under the car, Annie relaxed into Auggie's side.

"Thank you," she finally said.

"No thanks needed," he said into her hair.

Annie had talked to Danielle, sister-to-sister, over the past four days. Auggie knew that Annie and Danielle had shared a lot of tears, some anger, and plenty of ice-cream, and they had come out tighter than they had been before Danielle had moved down to California. Auggie's heart lifted every time he heard their laughter.

He himself had made two little friends. Annie's nieces became enamoured with their aunt's boyfriend. He played with them and made them laugh. He hadn't been around kids very much in a long time, and he had enjoyed it more than he thought he would. Kids were amazing. He had stopped a few times, hearing their giggles, wondering about the little child that had sat with him after the bomb, wondering what had happened to him, how old he was now. He wondered about the little boy he'd given his purple heart to when he'd gone back to make his peace.

All this had given Auggie more to think about. He still thought about family, about a home. And Annie was starting to again understand the need for family and home. Things were becoming clearer about what he really wanted, but he had to come up with a plan to get what he wanted and what he needed, as well as Annie's own needs and wants.

But there was time to work on this. He smiled to himself. First, though, he had to give Annie the world so she would know he was hers. Grandiose thinking, he knew, but he was done with letting things just go by. He had waited, he had deflected, and he had run. None of those things had worked. Annie needed proof of life. This would do it.

At the aeroport, they started off again. Auggie once again had an assistant take them to their gate. This time, Annie didn't ask him where the next stop on the itinerary would take them. Auggie had felt her deflate a bit after leaving her sister, but he knew it wouldn't last.

He made sure she was okay beside him in the waiting area, and then he put on his headphones. He'd loaded music on his phone, and he knew they had at least forty-five minutes until the plane was due to board. He felt Annie's hand slide into his, and he raised his head and smiled at her.

"You'll take care of me, right? On this adventure of yours?"

"Are you worried? First of all, I would _never_ let anything happen to you. Second, nothing is going to happen except the best time ever. And thirdly, this is _our_ adventure. I'm just getting us set off on the right foot. Anytime you want to alter the plan, I'll be all in."

"But you have _something_ planned."

"I _always_ have a plan" Auggie said with confidence. "But I also prescribe to teamwork."

"But you do have something planned. I can tell."

"How can you tell? I am completely poker-faced."

"Ri-i-ght, I can read you like a book, Anderson."

Auggie squinted his eyes up at her, not believing. "Really?" He quickly shook his head. "Okay, I have cooked up a little something. You have your passport?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Well, get your mittens." Auggie pretended to think. "And your hat. And maybe a big scarf."

Annie laughed. "Where are we going, Siberia?"

Auggie winked at her. "Not yet." He smiled to himself, and listened to the announcements. If Annie didn't know he was the most romantic man in the whole world after this New Year's Eve, nothing would do it. He had arranged it last minute and he was still pretty proud of himself for this one.

The flight was headed to Québec city, via Boston. The stop was only an hour, and they had a great sandwich and coffee at a aeroport coffee shop. Annie let Auggie keep his secrets for the first leg of the journey. On the second leg, she began to get impatient.

After they landed, they headed through the Jean-Lesage International Airport to find a cab.

"You didn't book us into the Frontenac?" Annie asked him.

"I thought about it. Kind of like a big castle. But, no. It was... too over the top. We needed something smaller and more intimate. If I went out for some ice in a place like that, you'd probably never hear from me again. But don't worry. I did a few really big moves. I know you like a bit of glam." He grinned, knowing he was driving her crazy.

The taxi ride took them on an arc between the airport and the capital city. It was wooded, and the address Auggie had given the taxi driver only ran off the main highway by mere minutes, but once they were inside the tree lined drive and the cabin hugged in the woods, Annie felt like they were miles from civilisation. They climbed out of the taxi, and the cabbie helped them take the luggage and put it up on the deck of the log cabin. Annie stopped as Auggie paid the cabbie, and just looked around, speechless.

As the cab drove away, Auggie stepped toward... he didn't hear her. He paused. "Annie?"

"I'm here," she said, and he immediately moved toward her voice. She took his arm and tucked herself into his side. "It's gorgeous, Auggie." She was so quiet. "Auggie, how did you know it was so beautiful?"

"I made them describe it to me. I made them put the man who owns the cabins on the phone and personally tell me, because I can't look at his brochures. He was quite helpful. We're going to hafta tip him a bit." He smiled. "Now _you_ can describe it to me."

Annie turned them in a circle, slowly. "It's all evergreens. And all snowy. Like in a movie. Can you smell the trees?"

"A little, yeah. It smells fresh."

"It's almost dark, but the snow lights everything up. I can see everything in detail."

"Are the stars out?"

"Yes. And I think there are supposed to be meteor showers, so we might have some shooting stars to wish on."

Auggie smiled, breathing the cold, crisp air in deeply. "I'll leave that to you," he said.

"The cabin is perfect. It's small. I thought they were all bigger, but this one is just perfect for the two of us. There are five steps." She walked up the stairs, letting him take his time. "Big logs," she said at the top, leading him over to the wall and putting his hand on it. He felt the girth of the logs chinked together to build the cabin with both his hands, as Annie described the exterior of the structure to him. Then they stepped through the door, and Annie took a deep sigh of air.

"What? Details, details." Auggie said, excited to hear her thoughts on the place. He knew exactly what it looked like inside, from the heavy grilling he did over the phone, but he needed to hear it through Annie's eyes.

He and Annie pulled the luggage inside and Annie closed the door. There was a wood stove and a fireplace, and both had been lit and were keeping the cabin toasty. They took off their coats and Annie hung them up. She put her arm around Auggie's waist and he did the same, and they walked the perimeter of the room slowly as Annie described it to him, giving him time put his hand out to each piece of furniture or decor as they passed it.

"You set?" Annie asked him, after they'd gone around the cabin twice.

Auggie smiled, the appreciation clear on his face. "I'm very set. Thank you, Annie."

"No thanks needed," Annie replied, smiling, repeating his words from earlier.

"Come here... where's a chair?" Auggie said, turning and sweeping his cane to his right, seeking the furniture. Annie moved forward, holding on gently, taking him without a word, to the couch, and they sat, Auggie disassembling his cane and reaching out both hands in front of him. His hand touched the coffee table and he set the cane there, turning back to Annie.

"Okay. I booked this place for five nights. We can change it up if you want. I thought-"

He felt her coming in, he knew she was coming close and he anticipated it, so he braced and kissed her back hard when she met his lips. "I love it," she murmured to him. "I love it so much. It's exactly what I need."

"Ahhh, I figured you _might_ also need a little bit of excitement..."

"Auggie...?" Annie said with a grin in her voice.

"Well, you said you wanted to forget about the spy game for a bit, but you're not the type of girl to just sit around in a hot tub. Which is really a shame, I must say. So, I have a tour of Old Québec all in for tomorrow. Not just any old sight-seeing tour, oh no, not for us! We have a special tour. Expect taste, touch, smell, and sounds on this tour."

"How did you...? No, I'm not even going to ask. You have a friend in Québec Tourism, don't you?"

"Well, Aubrey isn't exactly _tourism_, but he'll do. That takes care of tomorrow. And then, Tuesday night, there is a pretty amazing dance room down in the city that I've heard nothing but raves. Some ballroom dancing. It'll give you a reason to wear that dress you packed."

"How did you... No, I'm not even going to ask. Auggie, I didn't know you were a ballroom dancer."

"I'm not. I'm a presentable dancer. Or, I used to be, I guess. Not really impressive as a blind dancer, though, I run into too many other couples. However, that being said, we're going to have a proper lesson. I set up a one-time lesson in the morning. Enough to get us in the door. I'm going all out here, Annie. I'm a guy, I can't see, and yet, I'm willing to put myself on a dance floor for you, so that I can show you off. How many points do I earn for that?"

"I'd say there're bonus points, but who's counting?" Annie said, her hands around his shoulders, her lips gracing his cheek, his jaw line, his mouth. "All this and it's not even New Year's Eve. Do I even ask?"

Auggie took a big breath, scrunching his face up, making his thinking face for Annie. "You can ask..." He took the back of her hand to his chest and he laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll come clean about this... mission. New Year's Eve, huh? Well..., Québec City is quite the place. Cold? Yes. Beautiful? No doubt. Welcoming? You bet. It's all that and on New Year's, I checked it out. Bars, restaurants, there's a show on the Grande Allée that apparently just blows the mind: acrobats, dancers, concerts... Though I won't be too upset if you want to skip that. Crowds, and all. Kind of..." He shrugged. He wasn't sure how to explain how so much sensory stimulation caused him some anxiety, but he'd happily go wherever she wanted. He shrugged. "Sometimes, as you know, you can get special privileges when you're blind." He smiled her, finding her fingers, stroking them between his own. "So I got us a seat on the huge Ferris wheel."

"There's a huge Ferris wheel?"

"So I hear."

"You got me a seat on a huge ferris wheel?"

"Sure. I got _both_ of us a seat. I ain't missing this. You think I'm gonna miss this? The views, Annie!" He grinned at her. "I want it second-hand _immediately_, not third-hand. Now, after that little ride, I was kind of thinking... we could head up higher, and watch down on the fireworks. Just us, alone, without the crowds. So you can tell me."

He tried not to sound wistful. Sometimes, it caught him sideways.

Annie's voice was low as she leaned close to him. "I've never been loved like this," she said.

"Get used to it," he said.

Annie was quiet, looking at him, so he closed his eyes and cracked a little of that safe door open. "Just because I can't see it, doesn't mean I want to miss anything," he said softly.

"Of course it doesn't."

"I just... need a little help."

Annie shook her head a little. "Everyone needs a little help sometimes." She smiled and squeezed his arms. "I'm right here."

Why was it always so easy with her? It was like they had already taken some sort of dance lesson that they immediately fell into when they met in the hallway at Langley on Annie's first day. It had taken a day, tops, for them to match their steps, and since then, until she was gone, they had been as graceful together as seasoned dance pros. They were starting to get that back again; it was taking longer the second time than it had the first time around, and yet, it came to them as naturally as rain flowing down hill. The one thing they had never been able to do, they'd danced around, in fact, was being able to talk about their deepest feelings. This one problem had slowed down their initial romance. It had halted it upon Annie's return, and it grew worse over time. It had nearly driven Auggie to despair. That moment when he had stepped out of his emotional deprivation and talked to Joan, he felt a desire to start talking and not stop. And it was hard. It was hard to take feelings that he'd pushed so far down and bring them out to the air. Like an open nerve, they hurt at first, but each truth he gave Annie, each feeling he opened up to her, made him feel less alone and hurt. He hadn't expected that. He had only expected pain, bringing those things to the surface.

He'd done a lot of self-evaluation and self-awareness after Tikrit. He learned a lot about who he was. This time around, he'd done some soul searching again, but he wasn't just thinking about himself. He needed to be honest with someone other than himself, this time.

"And what, prey tell, do you have planned for me tonight, Auggie?" Annie's voice was that sexy growl that he had missed so much, he had heard for so long, teasing him into falling in love with her.

"Well, I thought this one might be one of those plans that we work on as a team."

"Oh, you did, did you? You left it wide open for interpretation?"

|I did. Thought we could maybe get a little creative... a little spontaneity never killed anyone, as you well know."

"I _do_ work well with spontaneity," Annie said, standing up, taking Auggie's hands as he stood up with her, kissing him and leading him to the bedroom. "Let me," she said, in between kissing, "show you," she pulled him faster, "the bedroom." Auggie pulled his sweater over his head as she guided him slightly haphazardly through the door, and he had his t-shirt off as his knee hit the edge of the bed. He reached out for Annie, to help her pull off her own sweater, but she'd already beat him to it.

"It's great," he said. "I love it. Especially the bed. Great choice."

She laughed that great laugh that made Auggie smile without any ability to stop. He wanted to hear it forever. To hear her smile, laugh, to touch her, to have her touch him, to smell the sweet notes that made up her signature scent, he could live forever with those things and never feel ungrateful for not being able to see her. It was enough. This was enough. He finally had reached the place where it was okay to say that. And as quick as the thought released some of the unhappiness that had stayed with him through other women, and he felt it go, Annie kissed him with all the passion he had ever known, and all thoughts of anything but this woman, right now, dissipated into the air like the chimney smoke into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

** Well, CeeZee, you wanted a long one... This is part two of my New Year's Special. I'm glad those of you who stick with me are enjoying. I wish you all a wonderful and positive 2015, and that you make good memories, and bring the good ones you have from 2014 with you! I shall return, with all intention, tomorrow, with your part three. Thank you, one and all.**

** And, of course, I don't own anything that USA Network puts out, including these characters, much to my grave disappointment.**

Annie nearly was hoarse from describing the streets of Old Québec to Auggie as they walked up and down the sidewalks. It took Auggie a few moments to get accustomed to the both the snow and the Old World stone sidewalks. On the way to meet their tour guide, they stopped and bought the gloves and hats and scarves that Auggie had suggested they have. They had met up with Auggie's friend, Aubrey, at nine-thirty in the morning. He was a pleasant, stocky Québécois and Annie took to his nature immediately.

They started the tour at the Fortifications of the oldest walled city in North America. Auggie ran his hands along the stones as Aubrey talked about its construction. He spoke of the Plains of Abraham, where Generals Montcalm and Wolfe had both died in the 1759 battle. Annie told him her view from where they stood. She tried to describe the way she imagined the troops crossed the field, the red and the blue. For a moment, Auggie heard the sound of a canon, and he wasn't sure if it was from the city itself, revelling the New Year, or from her description so vivid in his imagination.

They walked down the Grande Allée, an important road in the history of the city. Annie clutched Auggie's hand on her elbow, thrilled with the Victorian houses that lined the sidewalks.

"Oh, Auggie, it's like a Christmas card. Even the street lamps look like it's 1890. Everything is so beautiful, like the world hasn't changed here. It's clean, and so well taken care of." The street was more crowded than usual, with the throngs of people that had gathered to celebrate the passing of the old year and the ringing in of the new one. Annie pulled her arm in behind her body a few times and Auggie automatically tucked in close behind her, pulling his cane closer upright to his body. Annie never once let him stumble into anything or anyone, and Auggie once again was amazed at how adept she was at giving him both guidance and the feeling of independence at the same time. Like they were both there together, each one looking out for the other in so many ways, neither needing to explain.

They tasted the ciders and the beers and the poutine through the pubs that they passed. Everywhere, the jovial and warm spirit was bringing people in for a warm totty, even by lunch time. Auggie smiled and downed a cider, feeling his insides warm and his senses buzz a little.

The Québec Citadel was pointed out to be the defence system the city built as a defence against the Americans at the start of the 19th century.

"Don't hold it against us. We're just here to spend some money now," Auggie said to Aubrey as he reached his hand along the grand wall of the city. Aubrey told them it was the biggest one like it on the continent. Auggie tried to imagine the walks of the city and the citadel rising over the town and land around it.

Annie took a lot of photos of the sites, the Ursuline Convent of the city, the National Assembly, the Château Frontenac, the Notre-Dame Basilica, and she did her very best to supplement Aubrey's descriptive tour so Auggie would have a most amazing experience, just as she was having.

Auggie's best moment came when Aubrey led them to a tree on St. Louis Road. He told Annie to put Auggie's hands down amongst the roots and see if he could figure out what Aubrey was showing them. Auggie felt the roots, and buried in them was a round, cold, iron ball. Auggie smiled, not sure if it was what he thought. He felt it again and then he smiled at his friend.

"It can't be what I think," he said, his fingers still running on the cold surface of the object.

"An' what do you t'ink it is, Auggie?" asked Aubrey.

"A cannonball?" Now that he said it, it seemed too far-fetched.

"Yah, da's right, you got it, man. It's exactement un boulet de canon. 'Tis one dat was shot out in dat grande bateille en 1759."

Auggie felt the history under his fingertips. He closed his eyes, imagining the battle over this new world that had ripped the two nations apart as they fought for the right to populate and plunder the land. The history in the city was so strong, it was almost a scent he could smell. He felt it, somehow. He stood, his hand out for Annie. She took it and he tucked it under her elbow, the smile on his face evidence to the pleasure he was getting from this experience.

Late in the afternoon, they were again warming in a pub, eating hot baked potatoes and pork pies and drinking beer. They were exhausted from the walking. Auggie could feel his legs throbbing, and it made him feel good, like he had done something other than sit. He did a lot of sitting after he lost his sight. Moving about, at times, was more ordeal than it was worth. It took longer, took planning, and could go badly. He hated to rely on anyone to take him places, he felt like a burden and a dependant. But not with Annie. With her, he wasn't her burden. They were doing it together and he knew she'd never felt any other way with him. Again, he shook his head, inwardly thinking how this could have all gone the other way. He could have lost all of this and he never would have found it anywhere else. He'd tried, he'd tried and never succeeded. And he knew why. He'd already had this, and it was what he wanted. Realistically, he hadn't wanted those other relationships to work.

They bid Aubrey _Au revoir et bonne anné_, and then fell into a cab that whisked them back to the cabin in the evergreens. Annie poured each of them a glass of sherry, but neither of them made it through the whole glass. They ended up tucked into the comfy couch, watching French Holiday programmes on Québec television, and both dozed off around the same time, worn out from the day. Neither could remember a time, despite all the travelling and jet-setting, where they'd had a leisurely stroll and had really _experienced_ a city for its own identity. Auggie thought his last time really being part of the ambiance of a far-flung locale had to have been in Turkey, which was, of course, cut short and given a very different ending. Annie reminded Auggie that her last time on a vacation was with her sister, in Sweden, and they had both nearly been shot.

"So let's just say we haven't had good records when it comes to just... vacationing," Auggie mumbled, as he pulled her closer to him.

At some point in the night, he wasn't sure when, or who made the move, but they relocated to the bed, falling back into their slumber until the sound of blue jays woke them up just before the sky began to lighten. Auggie felt the bed move and Annie's breath on his arm that rested on his chest. He smiled, his eyes still shut, wondering if it was light enough for her to see him.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he whispered back.

"This is amazing," she said, and he felt her fingers trace along his. He rolled on his side, wrapping his arms around her.

"I never want it to end."

"Well, this part may have to," she said, "but I have a feeling that you've made further prep work on making that happen... the not ending, I mean."

"Ah, you know me so well," Auggie said.

"Apparently I do not, August. _You_ made an appointment for a dance class. I _never_ would have expected that."

"Expect the unexpected," Auggie said. "You should know that better than anyone."

"Okay, so..."

"No need to go all out. Work-out clothes if you have them, which I know you do, because you never go anywhere without them."

"You know _me_ so well," Annie replied, and she didn't move, but Auggie had the sense she was watching him. He smiled at her and she pulled him in for a slow kiss. They had time.

F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13

Louise-France was a tiny woman, her grey hair pulled back into a long braid. Annie described her quietly to Auggie as they put on their dress shoes they had been instructed to bring. There were four other couples there, all French-speaking. Auggie knew a smattering of French, and of course, Annie was fluent, so they didn't feel completely off-base. However, Auggie was feeling out of his element in general, and Annie picked up on it.

"It's gonna be fun," she whispered. "You are definitely the sexiest man here,"

"Oh, good, I was worried about partner swapping. I don't want to dance with Elise over there. She sounds a bit terrifying."

"You'd have her eating from the palm of your hand." She tapped the back of his and led him out to the centre of the studio. Auggie felt disoriented because of the echo of the room off the hardwood floor and the music bouncing from the speakers of the small stereo system in one corner. After losing his direction, Annie asked Louise-France if she would relocate the music device to the centre of the long wall, just so the sound didn't give such a disorienting feedback for Auggie. Once that was done, he felt much more secure in his surroundings. _The little things_, he thought. _She just gets it. And can take care of it without embarrassing anyone_. That was the kicker, right there.

Louise-France demonstrated technique with Auggie. He couldn't watch someone else learn, or pick up on the visual instructions, so he became the guinea pig. Louise-France tapped the hand she referred to and he put it around Annie's waist, holding his other hand out for Annie to grab. Louise-France corrected his stance, and Annie slowly followed as he "led" her around the room. It took one extra little step of Auggie leading but letting Annie guide them around the floor. It became that much harder when there were other couples dancing around them. Auggie tried to listen to their proximity, but with the music and the constant moving, he couldn't keep anything in check, so he tried not to keep his momentum blundering if Annie had to change their angle quickly. He wished he could just whirl her around the dance floor, but he kept holding back, uncertain.

"Oui, oui, Monsieur Anderson, you 'ave eet, but firs' you must be sure of yourself, and votre partenaire."

"I..." Auggie sighed, and Annie saw the muscle in his cheek twitch. "I just have a hard time, without being able to see where we're going," he admitted.

"Can we try one time without anyone else in the way?" Annie asked Louise-France.

"Mais-oui, of course!" She waved her hand and everyone moved to the side of the room.

Annie pulled Auggie gently to the centre. "Annie," he said low, almost in warning.

"It's okay," she whispered. "I dreamed about this."

Auggie tilted his head, not knowing what she meant, but something in her voice gave him the confidence to put his hand around her waist and take her other offered hand. She squeezed his as they raised their locked hands and he felt a surge of love for this woman he'd never seen but who let him see her more clearly than anyone he'd ever met. She had a wordless touch for everything she expressed with her face or her body. She communicated with him non-verbally in ways no-one had ever thought to do in the seven years he had been blind.

And so, he followed her guidance and he led them around the small dance studio floor, counting, listening to where the music was directed from, taking cues from Annie. They went around once, twice, and then, halfway through the third turn, where Auggie bravely attempted to twirl Annie, and she flawlessly answered his lead, they finished the song with a small bow and curtsy. Auggie had dreaded that he would dip forward and his head would collide with Annie's, or some other mishap would ruin that magical moment that had just happened, but it was perfect.

Louise-France congratulated them, her hand clutching Auggie's.

"I 'ave never 'ad un tudiant aveugle... it was un plaisir to meet you bot'. I'm sure you will make quite de scène on de dance floor, you make h'a beaut-ee-fol couple."

"Merci," Annie said, and Auggie echoed her thanks. He was still too taken by the moment they had shared on the dance floor, just he and Annie. He never had to dance again, and he would never forget the feeling of it.

They left the studio and Auggie pulled her back to him and kissed her, not caring who in the street saw them. Someone applauded, and a small group gave a happy shout to them. Auggie broke away, the grin on his face too much for Annie to take. She laughed and pulled him back to her, letting the little group whistle and cheer.

They stopped at a menswear's shop, where Auggie had had a tux set aside for himself. They collected the box and paid for the rental, heading back to the cabin to recharge and get ready.

After Annie repaid Auggie for his courage to step out of his comfort zone with her own brand of rhythm and motion, they napped for a bit, before taking showers and having a bit of the cheese, grapes, some wine, and cold cuts Annie had set out from the 'fridge.

Auggie called for a cab to take them to the soirée.

"How did you get us on this list?" Annie asked him as they cuddled in the back of the cab.

"You'd never believe how many Doctor Andersons there are around here. I only had to be one of them."

"You're a doctor," Annie laughed in disbelief. "What, dare I ask, are you a doctor of?" She paused, and then added, "This time?"

Auggie grinned. "I'm a very well-respected cardiac doctor."

"Oh, you are, are you?"

Auggie's smile got bigger. He traced his fingers along the wrap that she was wearing. "I've been known to work miracles on hearts. I mended a beautiful one a while ago. I think she's coming along nicely."

"What did this patient suffer from?" Annie asked with curiosity.

"I believe the damage came from a broken heart. Some thought it was a bullet that caused the scar tissue, but I think it was more."

"And she's okay now?" Annie played into his game, peering into his eyes.

"She's definitely going to be okay now. I have personally seen to her recovery."

"You _are_ an exceptional doctor," Annie purred, running her fingers along his collar.

"I have the certificates to prove it," he said, as the car slowed.

F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13

Annie couldn't describe the ballroom to Auggie for a few moments, when the doors were opened and they were ushered inside. He waited, his head dipped, listening, knowing she was probably overwhelmed. After a minute, she took a deep breath and then she turned and gave Auggie the whole run-down on the beautiful mosaic on the floor, the plaster details along the walls and ceiling, and the groups of formally dressed party-goers. She led him around so they wouldn't look obvious just standing in the entry, and told him all the little details he didn't need but in a way, needed more than he ever got.

They put in three dances. The first was presentable, as Auggie put it. They only ran into three other couples. The second, even Annie had to admit, was abysmal, and had to be aborted before it was through. The third, however, was why they left directly after. Auggie had left his cane and Annie had left her clutch in the hands of a maître-d', and she led him to the centre of the floor. By this time, many of the dancers had seen Auggie with the cane, and had watched Annie lead him out to the floor, and they moved back a bit, giving them some space, before the orchestra started up.

Annie stared intently at Auggie, willing her sight to give him all he needed. She wanted him to be impressed with himself the way she was. He was so incredibly handsome in his tux, when he'd come from the bedroom for her to give him a hand with his bow tie and cuff links, she'd felt every part of her body electrify over the sight of him. He was so cocky and yet so unsure. She knew he pretended tough, but that he wasn't sure anymore how he looked in a tux. He looked almost vulnerable as she had appraised him, running her hand up the front of his shirt to his collar.

He waited for the music and her cues. His heart was beating fast. He had no idea if others were waiting to dance, or if they were to be the spectacle. All he knew was, he had started this, and he had to finish it. And the better he did, the less he humiliated Annie, the better he would come away from this.

After the first few steps, he and Annie fell into their rhythm. He heard the rustle of clothing and the taps of feet around him, and he knew they were not the only couple on the floor, and this gave him a slightly less anxious feeling.

"They're giving us lots of space," Annie whispered in his ear. "We got this."

The third dance was the one. They glided around the floor, Auggie trusted Annie and with the trust he did not hold back, he did not falter. The music was right. Annie was the perfect partner. They moved flawlessly together, and when he dipped her, she somehow anticipated it, though he hadn't done it before. He snapped her back up and spun her out and back and when she came back to him, he pulled her close and hugged her, kissing her with emotion, as the room around them exploded in applause.

Annie pulled away, putting her hands on either side of his face, looking at him deep and with such love. "You are amazing. You are mesmerising. I have _never_ been so impressed with anyone as I am with you." He could hear the shaking in her voice, and he raised his hands to her face, feeling the tear on her cheek. He pulled her toward him, touching his forehead to hers, the sounds of the room around him blurring into a whirr.

They collected their things and called a cab. It could not get any better than that moment, and they both knew when to leave on a high. They tried with little success to keep their hands off each other, for the cabbie's sake, on the ride home, but as soon as they closed the door behind them, keeping out the cold, Auggie grabbed Annie, and they spent the next several minutes locked together. Annie pulled away, and carefully stoked the wood stove and the fireplace.

Auggie found the champagne and two flutes and he set to pouring them each a glass. He could hear the crackling of the fire in moments, and the warm, cosy smell of wood smoke laced the air. He turned, moving slowly and carefully, counting his steps and feeling with his leg for the edge of the coffee table. He put the flutes down and turned as he felt her hand on his back, helping him off with his jacket, and pulling the loosened tie from his collar.

He turned and she took his hand and placed it on her hip. He smiled, taking that as his cue. He'd seen this dress earlier, a glance, as she danced beside him, the fabric whispering against his hands, but now, she let him explore in full, the long, red gown that had caught so many men's eyes and raised envy in the women on the dance floor that night. He kissed her neck as he gracefully slid his fingers over her back to see the design of the dress, then he spun her and walked her to the couch, feeling for the edge of it and then instead of sitting her there, he crouched and slid along towards the fireplace, his knee contacting the soft rug as Annie came down to sit beside him in front of the fire. He continued to explore her dress, until he found the key to getting her out of it.

He never needed to top today. They would never forget it. They would not forget each other, or the love that was between them, hopefully, ever again.

And yet, thought Auggie, as he ran his fingers lightly over her shoulders as she dozed against him in bed, there _was_ a tomorrow, and there would be a tomorrow after that. A new year, in fact. This year, he welcomed it with a much clearer vision than he'd had in years past. Auggie breathed in deeply, holding her scent to him. Everything was clear now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's to 2015, may it be good to you all! **

**I do not own Covert Affairs. I'd love to tell you I do, because I'd renew it fast and set A&A up with the most romantic romance that anyone ever swooned over. But... I don't. SO, on that note, I'll give you this instead.**

Chapter Six

Annie was up early. She was still invigorated from the night before. Auggie woke up and listened to her humming out in the other room as she puttered away, doing whatever she was doing so happily. Auggie smiled, sitting up and putting his feet on the floor. He stood, feeling for the T-shirt he knew was on a chair near the bed, and, finding it, felt for the tag to make sure he put in on the right way. Then, in bare feet and his sweats, he made his way out of the bedroom and into the main cabin.

"Hey," Annie's voice was bright as she came over to him and took his shoulders, kissing him warmly on the lips.

"Hey."

"All I dreamed was dancing." She took him to the table and placed his hand on the back of the chair, then turned back to the little kitchen. "We sure showed them, didn't we?"

"Did we?" Auggie smiled. "I admit, I was... pretty terrified."

"You?"

"Yeah."

Annie put something on the table, and touched his hand. "I was right there."

"I know. That's why I could keep going."

"You did fine. We cleaned up that dance floor. I bet no-one bothered to go back on it after we left."

Auggie gave her a grin, but then he was serious again. "Annie, remember when I gave you the Corvette-"

"Auggie! It's fine! I didn't sell it-"

"No, I _know_ that."

"It's in storage. I used it as my... base camp when I came back... when I was still dark." Auggie smiled as she continued. "I couldn't drive it. Not when I was not with you. It felt wrong. And I couldn't sell it, Auggie, it's yours."

"No. No, it's not. I gave it to you, remember. I don't need a car."

"Then, what?"

"It... was right after..." Auggie sighed, spinning in his chair slightly to face her, leaning on his knees. "So much had happened then."

"I know."

"I ran off with Parker."

"I know."

"I was running from a lot of things. I thought being married to Parker would make them... less." He changed his tactic. "Do you remember you said you wouldn't marry me because I was too dorky?"

"Auggie. I was joking. It was... you were over thinking _way_ too much there."

"Parker wouldn't marry me, either."

"Auggie."

"That car... I gave it to you as a final step for me."

Annie slid her chair over toward him and put her hand over his. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed. "We'd missed a lot of talking then. You were gone, and then I was... and... I'd wanted to talk to you, but... then the whole Parker thing and getting taken hostage and then..."

Why did he find it so hard to just talk to her? Why did it have to be when it was need-to-know only? He found it so much harder to put words out there when he couldn't see the reaction of the person he was throwing them out to. He wondered briefly if he had been less guarded and private when he could still see. He rolled his shoulders and put his other hand over the one that clutched his.

"Just before... all that, I'd had an appointment... with my neuro-ophthalmologist." He felt the minute change in the squeeze of her hand. "I went in to see if I was a candidate for a new stem-cell treatment."

"Auggie... Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. I couldn't because you weren't here, and... you were-"

"I am _always_ here for you, Auggie."

"Yeah." Auggie shook his head. She hadn't been then, but that hadn't been her fault.

"So," she said softly. "What happened? At the doctor's?"

"All the tests. I always had had this little bit of hope, you know? Like, something would happen, I'd get better, or they'd come up with an operation or _something_. But, after all the tests and all the hope... the news came back that I wasn't a good candidate. Not enough to work with, I guess. They said to maybe try again in a few years' time, things may change in the science and medical worlds, but... I took my name off the list."

"Auggie? Why?"

"I can't keep doing that. Joan kept telling me I needed to move on. I'd been waiting for something that wasn't going to happen. It was a coping mechanism, I guess. I didn't want to totally face the idea that I wasn't ever going to see again. It was easier to go through the days thinking I would, but it got to be a lie. False hope gets old, Annie. I needed to accept it and put it behind me. And that car was the last thing from my sighted life that I needed to get rid of. You were the only one I could imagine giving it to. You'd treat it the way it needed to be treated. You deserved it. If I can't drive it, than I wanted the best driver I know to have it. Defensive driving _is_ your strong suit."

Annie smiled. "Yes. True."

"And, even though I decided to head of to Eritrea to Parker..." he shook his head. He hated even talking about the mistakes he had made until now. "I kind of thought, somehow, that if I gave you the car, I'd... still be able to ride in it. I don't even know why, that makes no sense, now, but... I knew then that I wanted to be with you. I just didn't realise I knew it."

"As soon as we go back... We'll get that car out of storage. We'll drive until it is _our_ car. You know that car, how she purrs, you can still enjoy the feel of her wheels on the road, the tight turns. I don't want to take that away from you, too."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Disappointed? Why? Because a doctor told you that you'd still be blind? Considering I've only known you this way, Auggie, it doesn't do one bit of changing for my part. And considering I didn't even know that there could have been an option, then, no. Disappointment is not a word I would use. I just wish I could have been here for you then. You shouldn't have been alone."

"Well, it's changed now."

"It has." Annie's bright smile was evident again in her voice. "And no matter what, whether you can see or not has no bearing on me being in love with you."

This, he knew was true. Whether he could see or not had never influenced her opinion of him. He just wished he could see so that he could do more for her. But it didn't matter to her, she said over and over. He was finally starting to learn for himself that this was her most fervent truth.

Auggie took his top hand off hers and felt on the table, his fingers coming in contact with a glass container with a spout. He explored it for a minute and then turned back to her. "Okay, what is this?"

"We're in Canada, in deep maple country. They stockpiled us with maple syrup. Apparently it is from last year's tap, it's all dated and printed with the local sugar bush name.

"And so... are we having pancakes?"

"Waffles, actually. This place is great. There's a waffle maker here. Did you ever try making those before?"

"Um, no."

"Well, we're going to try now!" Annie giggled. Auggie felt the grin flash across his face. He couldn't stay in a dark place anymore when she was with him.

"Uh oh," he said, as he felt her pull him to his feet.

"I actually found a waffle mix. We just need to add eggs. It's foolproof."

"Whatever you say, dear," Auggie replied, grinning from ear to ear.

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Auggie and Annie took in some of the excitement of the Grand Allée. Annie described the jugglers and the clowns and the parade of performers and acrobats that passed along down the street. They nipped in for a hot tottie at a warm pub, and then continued on, through the crowds. Auggie stayed tucked in behind Annie, alert for changes in the ground, and the crowds passing around them. He heard the children laughing and calling out in French to their siblings, and he heard the music pouring out of every door and flowing down the street itself. To be blind and on one's own in a crowd like this would have raised his anxiety level to cringe-worthy heights, but connected to Annie's elbow, that tiny contact made with her, and he remained calm and in the present. He felt the excitement, knowing that when he left this place, it would stay with him forever. _Who needed holiday photos for those memories?_

"We're there," Annie said, and he felt her leaning back, obviously peering up into the sky.

Auggie grinned. "The Ferris wheel?"

"Yup."

"I love Ferris wheels."

"You're blind. What do you get out of Ferris wheels?" She led them to the line, moving around the people carefully.

"Honestly? I have no idea anymore. I guess we'll find out."

He felt those eyes on him. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine. It's a whole new experience, right?"

"Right," she answered him, happily. While they waited, Auggie was given a full, detailed visual on the goings-on around them.

"You're really good at this," he admitted to her.

"What, I did this every day when you were my handler, tell you what I saw."

"Yeah, ya did."

"So, now I get to do it with you here with me. It's a win-win, really." She reached out and gave his wrist a squeeze.

Their time came eventually, to be seated on the large Ferris wheel. Annie guided him up the platform and put his hand on the seat, and he slid into it with her right behind him, taking his cane apart and folding it, keeping it tight in his hand. The attendant fixed the safety bars for them and smiled at Annie.

"Enjoy," he said.

They climbed the height of the wheel slowly, seat by seat. Near the top, Auggie felt the air change, it felt colder and more... empty. He tried to explain the feeling of being alone there with her, at the top of the wheel, and then she told him that all the buildings around them were actually shorter than the Ferris wheel, and that they were pretty much the highest thing around. Her reply made him grin. Sometimes he amazed even himself.

"What else do you see? Can you see the Plains of Abraham?"

"I can see everything, Auggie. It's so beautiful. It looks like the Old World Europe here, except there are so many lights now, and so many of them are moving! Oh, look! It's the torch walk!"

"Are you pointing?" Auggie asked her, looking at her with a hint of glee in his voice.

"Uh, yeah, sorry, I was."

Auggie laughed, just as the Ferris wheel started to travel in its full circle without stopping. Auggie felt Annie clutch his hand tight. He kept his other gripping his cane and the safety bar together. On the way up the back side of the arc, he felt almost like he was jumping up, was being picked up, it was a feeling from way back in his past, but it connected him with the moment now.

"Oh, we're at the top!" Annie informed him, her thrill evident in her voice. Auggie felt his stomach seem to leap inside him, and it was the same feeling he'd had when he could see and tried this. He rationalised it as a trick of the equilibrium and motion and not a trick of the eyes, that made a person feel the thrill of messing with gravity. He was ready for the next round, and he shouted along with Annie, laughing, feeling freer than he had in so long. The cold night air pressed against his cheeks and lips and under his ears where his scarf didn't meet his hat and it invigorated every fibre of him. He heard her laughing beside him, without restraint, and he laughed impulsively along with her. Each turned of the wheel made him happier, and when they finally came to a stop to begin unloading, Auggie pulled Annie close to him on the seat, his heart still racing with the joy of it, and he kissed her at the top of the Ferris wheel before they were lowered seat by seat back to the bottom.

The bar was pulled back, and Auggie kept his hand on Annie, letting his cane fall open as he manoeuvred the platform back down to the ground.

"Oh my God, Auggie, that was the _best_! Thank you, thank you!" She was bouncing up and down and she wrapped her arms around him. "Gahhd, I feel like I'm ten again."

Auggie laughed, raising his watch and popping the crystal open, taking a moment to feel the hands. "Okay," he said, snapping it shut. "We have forty-five minutes. Let's get a drink and head somewhere."

He felt Annie looking around, and then she started moving. She stopped, pulling them into a crowded pub, and procured both of them a beer, sneaking him back into the street with the open bottles.

"I see a place," she said. "You okay for a walk?"

Auggie grinned. "I'm good to go." He trusted her implicitly.

She led him out of the crowds of revellers, and he noticed the sidewalk sloping in an incline. After about ten minutes of walking, she turned to the right, off the concrete.

"Okay, there's a path here, Auggie, it's a nice wide one, and it's mostly clear and flat. I'm going to take us up there to a bit of a cliff or hill overlooking everything. It may be already crowded, but I don't see anyone on the path. Okay?"

Auggie nodded and started up the path behind her. She was careful, and ever watchful of where he stepped, and when they came out at the area Annie had spotted, she was pleased to see no-one was there.

"I think we're all alone," she whispered. She moved out to stand in a clear spot, and Auggie stood directly behind her, his arms tightly around her as the first set of fireworks were shot into the night sky. Auggie could hear the sparks shooting from them as they sped upwards, and he waited for the bang of the powder igniting in one big show of sparks. Annie _ooh'd_ and Auggie chuckled. It was an innate response, he told her, to _ooh_ and _ahh_ over fireworks displays. He could tell distinctly one firework from another. Some whizzed and whirred and sputtered, some made a _puff_ and a sound almost like rain, and some made an almost abrupt _bang_ like a gun. Annie had her arms clutched around his, and he nuzzled her cheek as she told him the colours.

"That one started red," she said, "but then it seemed to get bigger and turn green. Oh, that one is shaped like a heart! Oh, Auggie, rings, all different colours!"

He wouldn't get tired of hearing her see. She gave him all of it. When the popping and banging had ended, Auggie could smell the faint scent of smoke from all the gunpowder in the air, and he felt like he had watched the whole thing though his own eyes, it was that engraved in his mind. He held her for a while longer, neither of them saying a word, knowing that whatever happened, they were connected forever.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Covert Affairs. I'd like to. I'd also like to own a baby elephant, a Google Car, a time machine, and the Holodeck. However, I'm out of luck on all of the above. So I'll just own my imagination, and share some of it with my friends.**

Chapter Seven

Auggie had mixed feelings about leaving the little cabin tucked into the snowy woods as they headed back to the aeroport. He was filled with so many good memories which were still tingling in his mind and body. Annie was snuggled into his side, content and prepared for the next leg of the journey.

"You haven't asked me," he said into her hair.

"I'm trusting you," she replied.

"It's been a while," he said, hating that those words came out of his mouth. He recanted. "You had your reasons. I had mine. I'm glad you trust me again."

"Me, too." She leaned back to look at him. "Do you trust me?"

"Annie… I have put every step I make in your trust all the time. So in some ways, I've never stopped trusting you."

"But in other ways?"

"We don't have to go there, Annie."

"Do you trust me?"

He reached his left hand up to graze her shoulder, and then up to rest along her jawbone. "I trust you. We're in this together, Walker. I'm in it all the way. I told you that."

"We're good?"

"We _are_ good. Don't you think we're good?"

"Oh, I think we're great." The sun was back in her voice. They were good, there was no doubt about it. They just had to stay focused.

_Look ahead_, he thought. He smiled. "So you haven't even asked me where we're going now."

"I don't care. It's already perfect."

"So, then you're up for a tour of the computer programming conventions around Midwestern USA?"

He heard her take a breath to speak, and then there was a pause, which gave him the moment to start grinning. He couldn't help it.

"I am _so_ giving you a dirty look right now."

'I had you, didn't I?"

"Not for a minute, Buster."

The crowds weren't as tight, but they also weren't as jovial at the aeroport this time. Auggie had to deal with an inept worker as he was put through the metal detector. He put all the contents of his pockets out, but then he couldn't find the dish they set out, and no-one seemed too interested in helping him, and Annie had already gone through. He ended up throwing it all onto the conveyor belt into a pile, and put his cane beside it. Then he took off the messenger bag and put it on the belt.

"Step over this way, Sir," a voice said.

Auggie turned toward him, but the sound was eaten up by the confusion and grandeur of the aeroport. "You'll have to give me more than that," he said, waving his fingers in front of his eyes.

"Uh, oh... Uh, sorry, Sir,"

Auggie felt the man take his arm. His automatic reaction was to shake him off, grabbing the man's elbow as he did so. A move he'd perfected over the past seven years. He stepped three steps and the man stopped, turning to scan him with the metal detector. Auggie could hear the wand moving around over his body.

"Can you step through this way, Sir?"

He sighed, scowling. "Again, a little heads up would be-"

"Auggie!" Annie called from the other side of the metal detector gate. Auggie oriented himself, stepping slowly until his hand touched the gate and then he stepped through. Frustrated, he flung his arm to the left to look for the conveyor belt for his cane, but he wasn't sure anymore how close it was.

Just at that moment, he felt Annie's hand brush against his outstretched fingers, and he grabbed on, the panic that was beginning to surface melting away into calm. He followed her few steps, and then he felt her take his other hand and place it over the pile of things from his pocket that were on the conveyor belt. He gave her a grateful smile and put everything back in place, his hand sweeping to the left for his cane and his bag.

"All set?" she asked him as he put the messenger bag over his head.

If only she knew. "All set," he replied, throwing her a wink with his smile. He wasn't sure if she'd seen all of that, or if she detected his panic rising. He did not want to talk about it, if she did, but she said nothing, and he was, as always, grateful to her being who she was.

Inside the gate, they only had to sit and wait for about fifteen minutes before they were moving out to board the plane.

"I know where we're going," Annie said as they were seated in coach.

"Yeah, I figured by now. I heard you were pretty decent at intel gathering."

"I just don't know why," Annie trailed off with a grin.

"Someone said it was nice."

"Uh huh."

He laughed. Her smile was so obvious through her voice. Some people didn't smile in their voice. He had a hard time reading them. He drew a bead on Annie's expressions immediately. He was a part of the conversation as it was happening, not needing a moment or an explanation to figure her out. After she'd gone dark, he couldn't read her expression at all, and he had been so afraid that it was gone. That he had lost the connection with her, or she with him. And, he supposed he had. She had muffled her feelings under a hood of loneliness and detachment and there was no way he could read through that.

"So... Cork."

"So you _did_ catch that."

"Are you as romantic as I am imagining you to be right now?"

"Even more so."

"Realllly," she said slyly.

"Oh yeah. I've won awards." Auggie kept his face serious.

"How are we doing all this?"

"Blind guys get deals."

"You just come with all sorts of bonus features, don't you?"

"I am chalk full of features... for example..." He dug in his bag for a moment, and then produced a small paper bag. He brushed a fingertip across it and then handed it over.

"What's this?"

"Little token."

She took it and opened the bag. Inside, he knew, was a blue silk bag with a white ribbon on it. He waited expectantly, trying to judge if she'd opened it yet.

"Auggie! It's that pendant!"

And... _hug_, He laughed as her arms went around him.

"You liked it. I know you kept going back over to look at it."

When they had strolled the Grande Allée, they had gone into a shop that sold hand-made Québécois jewellery. Annie had pointed out a few, and Auggie was permitted to touch them to see them himself. Annie had been intrigued by a tiny bird cage pendant which had been made from sliver wire. Inside was a tiny blue and red bird, and the detail in the filigree around the cage was exceptional. Auggie's sensitive fingers picked up on the craftsmanship and design, and when Annie had gone back for the third time to look at it, Auggie had taken the salesclerk aside to ask about traditional Québécois art while Annie browsed. He quietly gave her a bill to cover the pendant and a tip for putting it into a pretty bag and somehow getting it to him without Annie seeing her. He was pretending to check out embroidered velvet bags along the counter when he felt her pass him and press a paper package to his hand. He took it discretely, passes being his spy game, and tucked it into his bag. He'd kept it there, wanting to give it to her as they were leaving, so she would have it as something to take from this place, the start of their adventure, the start of the New Year ahead.

"Look, Auggie," Annie said, picking up his hand and placing the pendant into it. She took his other hand and placed it on a small moving piece in the birdcage. "Did you see this? There's a tiny door on these little hinges. That little bird could fly away if she wanted to."

Auggie could feel the small gap where the door had swung open, and he smiled. "But she hasn't."

"She doesn't want to," Annie said quietly. "I think she finally feels safe."

"Let me put it on you," Auggie said. It took him a few minutes to figure out the clasp with his fingers, but Annie showed him how it opened and he felt her lift her hair off her neck as he reached around to place the chain around her neck.

"Okay," he said, almost leaning into it, as if that might help. "I seem to have encountered a problem. Small hole, tiny hook. Just give me a second." He gave all his attention to figuring out how to hook the clasp together, but then his dextrous fingers finally found the sweet spot and he let go of the clip and the necklace held.

"It's beautiful," she sighed.

"Let's see," Auggie said, turning her as she dropped her hair down and looked up at him. He was smiling as he said, "It is beautiful. But it can't _touch_ you. I've heard too much." He fingered the chain, following it down her collarbone.

"It doesn't matter what other guys see," Annie said. "You know what you see. That makes me feel even more beautiful." Her voice pointed down. She was looking at her necklace. "I haven't felt beautiful in a long time, Auggie. Maybe since... the last time I was with you before... Wilcox-"

"Well, get used to it, Walker. I intend on reminding you often. Especially when you wear those heels you had on the other night. Are those in that suitcase?"

"You like those?"

"Well, I certainly get why that walk is your sexy walk."

"Yeah, they make a pretty sultry sound."

"Let's say you had my attention."

Annie pulled his hand down from where it rested on her shoulder blade and clutched it. "We'd better be careful; we're still in a public place. Though I don't even care... we probably shouldn't get everyone's attention."

Auggie laughed. "Okay. We'll just sit here calmly and wait to take off."

His timing was perfect. The pilot came over the announcement speaker and let them know the next chapter of their adventure was underway. Annie clutched Auggie's hand as the plane lifted off, and Auggie's heart and spirit went up with it, feeling Annie's connection without restraint. He couldn't wait to show her what he had planned next.


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Covert Affairs. Unfortunately, USA Network does. And they suck. So I am going to do whatever I want with their characters as I see fit, and I have lots of ideas for this one, and another fic that was requested by a reviewer (thank you!), and since they don't have the decency to give us a season six when we've invested so much into their programme, I really have no qualms about my evil thoughts about their network. However, I have only good thoughts about Covert Affairs, and Walkerson. Please enjoy. Happy Happy**.

Chapter Eight

"Okay," Annie said, walking around the little Irish B&B room. "I am not sure how you are doing this. I mean, I know you have your connections and I know you have a keen eye for tasteful decor."

"So to speak," Auggie replied, trailing his hand along the wall until he came to the small table and chairs sitting in the bright January sun coming low in the window. He explored the chair closest to him and sat down, sighing. He listened to Annie asked she checked the place out, describing everything to him as she went.

"Do you want to check it out?" Annie asked as she returned from the small bathroom, after exclaiming her delight at the deep, long, narrow tub.

"No," Auggie said. "I can do it later."

She came over and sat, pulling her chair closer to him. "Are you tired?"

He smiled a wan smile at her. "A little, yeah."

"Airplanes wipe me out, too." She squeezed his hand. "Mrs. Ó Caoimh was pretty sweet."

"Yeah, I only talked to her via email, but she was very welcoming. She said they don't have as many tourists coming through this time of the year. She said she'd take extra special care of us. You think we should slip her some whiskey?"

Annie laughed. "I'm sure she's quite satisified with our credit card."

Auggie just smiled.

"Auggie? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, Annie. I'm so glad we're just doing this. I think it's so long overdue. I wanted us to have time to just... I don't know, get to know one another outside of the spy game. There's so much I don't know about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"You're just going to ask me point-blank like that?

"Well, you brought it up, Soldier."

Auggie held both her hands in his. "We'll just take our time. There's no rush."

She was quiet, keeping her hands tight in his. "I like this."

He smiled, closing his eyes.

"You _are_ tired."

"It's a bitch sometimes, travelling and not seeing. It's a lot of work. Although travelling with you, Annie Walker, makes the whole experience a thousand times better." He wanted to say _easier_ but he didn't want to admit to weakness to anyone, even Annie. He was still smarting over the security check-point and his obvious disorientation. He wasn't even sure why; things like that happened to him all the time. Maybe it was because he had been on a roll, showing Annie such an amazing time, not letting the disability infringe on their time together, and then there it was, standing between them. Or at least so he thought.

He heard a hitch in her breath, and a sigh, and he felt her lean close. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't even think about it like that."

"There's just a lot of moving and guessing and following, and noise, and no structure to any of it. And the jet lag is hard. I mean, because I already have a kind of messed up internal clock. It's very sensitive to change. Like, I have absolutely no concept of what time it is right now, here, where we are. I actually have no concept of what time it is back home." He dropped her hands for a second and popped open the crystal on his tactile watch. He added the five hours on as he changed the time to reflect where they were. Then he took Annie's hands up again. "Eight O'clock," he said. "I guess that explains my state." He gave her a stronger smile. "We travel well together, Walker."

"I'm sorry about the metal detector guy," Annie said softly.

_So she had seen that_. He dropped his head. "Yeah. That happens."

"I know."

That was all she said. She stood, pulling his to his feet, gently leading him to the bed. She placed his hand on the bed and then reached down and pulled the sweatshirt up from his waist. He stood and let her pull it over his head, and then he smiled. She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him down lightly, and then crawled on the bed behind him. He turned his head, listening to her nestle down, her knees pressed against his hips. Then she reached up and began kneading at the travel knots in his neck. He stretched his neck from side to side, feeling the strain, feeling her warm fingers, feeling the tension evaporate as she worked the muscles down from his neck to his shoulders and then the tender parts of his back. He felt her trace the tattoo with a finger for a moment, and then she continued, pushing her knuckles into the muscles under his shoulder blades.

When she had finished, he was so relaxed and so exhausted, all he could do was strip to his briefs and climb under the covers as Annie got ready and snuggled in beside him. They were both asleep in a matter of minutes.

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Mrs Ó Caoimh was very obliging. She made them a breakfast that would have provided energy to an entire army brigade. Bacon, sausages, eggs, toast, tea, scones, the women kept their plates full.

"Oh, go on, Mr. Anderson," she said. "You look as though you could use a good full Irish breakkie, yourself. There's more meat on a jockey's stick, to be fair. You, too, girl, eat up, I'll not be having you strike off an' be so hungry in an hour you could eat a dog's bollocks t'rough a tennis racket."

This caused excessive laughter from both Annie and Auggie. They had woken feeling very refreshed and after showering and dressing, they were welcomed downstairs at the dining room, where Mrs. Ó Caoimh ushered them to her best table. There was another couple enjoying their own big breakfast, and they nodded and smiled genially at Annie and Auggie.

As the lady of the Inn bustled about, refilling tea and coffee mugs, Auggie manoeuvred through the meal without too much stress. Annie had given him the layout of the plate in front of him, and pushed a scone against his hand. Mrs. Ó Caoimh was especially obliging. Auggie had not told her he was blind until they had stood here last night, and she only took a moment to reset her thinking and had made sure that he would have what he needed.

"Me husband's Mam was blind, dear soul," she'd told Auggie. "Not one to complain, no. Let me tell you, she was fierce good in the kitchen, so. Well, I'll be sure to tell Mr.Ó Caoimh, he'll be only too pleased to set that fire to roaring," she'd said, referring to the grate in their room where a small fire could be built.

"We can manage," Annie had told her, smiling. "We just had the best time in a cabin in the Québec winter woods. We've got the fire-building thing under control."

"So..." Annie said now. "What has the great August Anderson, globe travel guide, have in store for me in Cork?"

"Three places. A gaol, a castle, and a cathedral."

"A gaol?"

"It's got audio description on the tour."

"Oh? Well, that's cool. And the cathedral?"

"Just a tourist thing. You know, sight-seeing for the Sighted."

"Auggie, you don't have-"

"And the castle is for me. Just to watch you." He grinned. "Or listen. You know what I mean. I'm gonna enjoy this."

"I am so giving you a very frustrated shake of my head right now," she told him. "What castle might this be?"

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed. You've been away from the business for a few months, Annie, you're losing your touch."

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Cork City Gaol was not a far walk from the centre of the city, but it was a trek of epic proportions, climbing the steep streets, trying not to get lost. When they did find it, they enjoyed themselves, listening to the detailed audio tour on the Walkmans they were provided. Annie was often able to place Auggie's hands on the features of the gaol that were being explained, and at the point where they discussed the building being haunted, he felt her shiver.

"You believe in ghosts?" he asked her, and it sounded more relevant than he meant it to.

"Right now I do," she replied with a delicious grin to her voice."

"All sorts of ruffian types were housed here over a hundred years. I'd say you have a good chance of feeling the cold fingers of doom on your neck before we leave."

"Stop," Annie said. "I'm not above locking you in one of these cells. Oh, another step down," she added, and he prodded around the stone step with his cane, following her. The floors were not totally even, but she had carefully guided him as always.

The next stop was a pub, for a pint and a bite to eat. The beer warmed them up and the plate of chips and steak fortified them for the next event.

Their tour led them to St. Finbar's Cathedral, and Dean Street behind the old wall. Auggie patiently let Annie enjoy the gothic architecture, and he was able to feel some of the mosaic tile floor and the relief sculpture, but he kept his boredom and frustration quiet. Sure, he could feel how huge the structure around him was, the empty space echoing off the high ceiling and walls, how their voices disappeared, swallowed up with the other voices around them, up into the stones. The air was cold, and Auggie's fingers felt numb as he clutched Annie's elbow.

"It's beautiful, Auggie. Thank you."

"There's a sense of peace in a place like this," Auggie said.

"I feel it. I'm good, Auggie. We can go."

For once, he felt relieved that she was cutting and running to indulge him. They caught a cab back to the B&B, where they were greeted by both Ó Caoimhs. They set plans for their _tea_, which was to be a hearty roast and potatoes, to be served in the dining room in an hour.

"I'm gonna gain fifty pounds from this place," Annie whispered to Auggie as they climbed the stairs to relax with a bottle of wine before they ate.

"Not with all the walkin' we're doin'," Auggie said.

"You planned it, Mister. You should have arranged better transportation."

"I like the walking," Auggie replied. "Sometimes the sitting around gets old."

They were in the room then, and Auggie closed the door, feeling Annie's hand around his forearm.

"You're doing just fine," she said softly. She let the moment hang briefly in the air and then she let go, her voice turning away. "Now, where do you think they'd hide a corkscrew around here?" He heard her rummaging in a drawer. "Bingo, we're in."

Auggie shook his head. How many times could the woman blow his mind in a day? He had known they had _gotten_ each other when she was out on missions, he had felt it when they were out together. But it amazed him again and again how she was coming back to being so in tune with him. It had taken a bit, but this break was restoring it for them, without the pressure of the job that drove them both to making bad decisions in regards to each other.

He followed her to where she was uncorking the bottle and let his hand bump against her back. He reached around her and gently pulled her back toward him as she poured the wine.

"I want you to pick the next place," Auggie said.

She took his hand and placed the wine glass into it. "I thought you had it dialed. You haven't run out of friends, have you?" They moved to the love seat near the television, which they hadn't turned on at all.

"No. I still have some tricks up my sleeve. But this partnership, Ms. Walker, is equal. Right?"

"Undoubtedly so."

"So you have your chance."

"Can I think on it?"

"Give it your best shot." Auggie said, taking a drink of wine.

After they had eaten and fielded questions from the Ó Caoimhs throughout the meal, they made their escape to finish the wine and perhaps have another bottle. Annie grabbed the chocolate biscuits from the table before they left, and they hurried upstairs like they'd robbed a bank.

The wine went down even better on a full stomach. The chocolate biscuits were opened and then forgotten. Annie giggled, trying to muffle herself as Auggie pulled her hard up the length of the bed. Keeping a constant tactile touch with Annie all the time meant he needed to hold back from wanting more until times like this. His fingers raced up her body, his mind already way ahead of them as he hungrily pulled her clothes from her.

"Do you think they can hear?" Annie asked.

"Of course," Auggie said into her neck. "Let's give them what they came for."

She giggled again in response, and pushed him back, her lips connecting with his as they went down.

"It's the Blarney Stone, isn't it?" Annie asked, her voice smothered in his shoulder. "You're gonna make me kiss it."

Auggie shook his head. "I'm having a change of plan." He kissed her along her collar bones. "I have a whole new idea for tomorrow. Screw the Blarney Stone. You're not the type to need luck. And my luck would be much better if we just stayed in bed."

Annie ran her finger daintily down his bare chest. "I think you may be onto something." She said, teasing him. "But... since we're here..." she followed her finger with her lips. "I think we can use any extra luck we can get after what we've been through. But I don't mind a late start."

Auggie tangled her hair around his fingers. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for today. For every day. For giving me your eyes." He pulled her chin up to look at him.

"All yours," she said. "All yours."


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow. You guys. Thanks. I had a crazy moment after the *shhh* "cancellation" news (InDenialInDenialInDenialInDenial) where I thought everyone would be all done and moving on and I decided I wouldn't write any more CA fanfic, (or any, as CA is the only one I will do). But some awesomewonderful people asked me to continue, that we need more CA ff because it keeps us happy. And who am I to mess with happiness. So this is for all of you who asked me not to stop.**

**And, of course, I don't own nor do I make money off of Covert Affairs. Maybe I will tomorrow. One can only hope.**

Chapter Nine

Auggie woke up and realised he was alone. He turned his head, listening, but there were no sounds coming from any part of the room. The bed beside him was cool.

"Annie?" he asked. There was no answer. He sat up, and touched her pillow, needing to feel the indentation in it to know she had been there. His fingers brushed against something that clinked. He tentatively reached for it, and, picking it up, recognised it as an empty tea cup, and below it, a saucer. It was sitting so perfectly in her pillow. He smiled, shaking his head. She'd slipped downstairs to have some caffeine with the Ó Caoimhs, and left her calling card for him to find. He stretched and moved slowly to his feet, taking the five steps to the wall near the door where they'd put their luggage out of the way. He took out a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt and some underwear and headed to the shower.

After he'd dressed and towelled his hair dry, he collected his cane and headed downstairs. _Fourteen stairs._ At the bottom, he turned ninety degrees and made his way through the double door entry into the dining room, where he heard Annie and Mrs.Ó Caoimh's voices chatting animatedly.

"Morning, Auggie!" Annie sounded bright and cheery. "Come have some tea."

He moved toward her voice, sweeping his cane ahead of him. His left hand was slightly out to the side and he felt her warm palm close over it, placing it on the chair back slightly to his left. He leaned in and felt her return the kiss he offered before he sat down.

Mrs. Ó Caoimh was pouring the tea to his right. He turned to her with a cheeky grin. "Top o' the mornin' to ye, Mrs. Ó Caoimh," he sang. He'd teased her the morning before with this, and she'd reprimanded him, saying not one person she knew had ever recited such a thing.

"Oh, you, go on!" she chided him, giving him a slight bump with her arm. "I'd have said it meself, but you beat me t'urit. Now, what'll it be for you this fine morning?"

"Did you eat?" Auggie asked, turning to Annie.

"She most ceirtainly did not!" said Mrs. Ó Caoimh.

"I had some toast and an egg. Mrs. Ó Caoimh makes a really good poached egg. And I am full. I think I'm still full from last night," she laughed.

Auggie folded his cane, thinking. "Actually, Mrs.O, that sounds pretty good."

"If you let me add some bacon to that, it's a done deal," she replied to him.

"Sold," he said, smiling, hearing her bustle off to the kitchen off the end of the large room.

He turned to Annie. "You were up bright and early."

"I see you found my note."

"We really have to teach you Braille. I don't know if sleeping in fragile china is probably the best idea."

"You'd teach me?" she asked, sounding like that wide-eyed learner he'd fallen in love with years back.

He grinned. "I'd love to teach you." No-one had offered to learn Braille for him. Not even a word. Not that it had mattered; people left him a text or voicemail on his phone instead of a note. But there was something much more intimate about Annie wanting to learn Braille for him.

Auggie's breakfast was served and Annie had a second scone with jam. He made a call when they were having more tea from Mrs. Ó Caoimh's never-empty pot and set up a taxi to take them to Blarney Castle.

Auggie had read up on the castle beforehand. He knew the epic history of the place, that it had been rebuilt six-hundred years before on the same place that the first castle had stood since 1200. He had researched until he was sure he could give Annie the full tour himself. He'd also read that the mediaeval spiral stone steps were uneven and narrow. But he was determined to do this with Annie. She was worth the effort.

The cab arrived as Annie and Auggie were lacing up their hiking boots. Auggie helped Annie with her down jacket and he pulled on his leather jacket on top of the heavy sweater he was wearing. She turned and pulled the scarf she had bought him around his neck and kissed him twice, and then they called goodbye to the Ó Caoimhs and left the warm B&B.

Auggie could feel the history of the stones around him. His hands traced the walls as they climbed the stairs. There were still a fair amount of visitors to the castle even in the colder weather.

"Do you want any help?" Annie asked, her hand reaching for his, giving it a squeeze.

"No, it'll be easier for me to do it myself, you want to spot me from behind?"

"You bet." Annie took his hand to her lips and kissed it, and he smiled, turning, carefully making his way up the stone steps, keeping his cane upright, and feeling for the uneven steps with it, careful when he placed his feet.

"Just... keep the hoards patient," Auggie said. "I don't want to frustrate them."

"Auggie, no-one is rushing us. We have all the time we need. Besides, you said we have to stop and check out the rooms on the way up. Okay?"

Auggie grinned. Of course it was okay. He had Annie at his side.

They made it to the top, checking out the rooms and the history all the way up. Annie gave Auggie a perfect description of the view from the height where they stood. When they were at the top, the attendant invited them their chance to kiss the Blarney stone.

"You want the opportunity to have the gift of eloquence?" Auggie said with a smile. "It may come in handy on an op. Although I think you already have it, you manage to always say the right thing." Auggie felt her lean in for a kiss and at the top of the most famous castle in Ireland, Auggie wrapped his arms around this amazing woman and thanked all his lucky stars, Irish rocks, and all the shamrocks on the Emerald Isle for her.

"You afraid of heights?" the attendant asked Annie as she positioned herself in what Auggie imagined to be an uncomfortable state of being upside-down with the attendant holding her feet.

"Not at all," Annie giggled. "Are you paying attention, Auggie? This is what you wanted to watch."

"I'm watchin'," Auggie told her with a grin, leaning with both hands on his cane.

"I'm in position!" Annie informed him. "I'm kissing it, now. You may never want to believe a bit of blarney that passes these lips again."

He laughed, picturing the feat of acrobatics that Annie undertook to perform the traditional act. Moments later, he felt her wrap her arms around him. "I did it," she whispered.

"Sir? You want to give it a go?"

Auggie turned, surprised. "Uh. I think I'm good," he said.

"You sure?" Annie said.

"I already speak eloquently," Auggie assured her. "Ready?"

"You bet. We did it. Let's go."

Auggie felt a sense of pride as he descended the stone steps on their way back down. He did it. He made it to the top with her, and he would make it back down. He kept one hand against the stone beside him, willing himself to feel the history, the many hands that had touched those walls over hundreds of years. And it came to him, halfway down, the feeling of time piling over time, the lives that had passed through, walking on the same stones below his feet. He stopped, running his hands over the stone. Annie, in front of him, heard him stop, and she turned.

"You okay?"

"Annie?" He tilted his head. "This is amazing."

She stepped up, placing her hand around the hand that held his cane. "It's so amazing. You're amazing. What you do for me is amazing." She looked out over the landscape. "We have the whole world at our feet, Auggie."

"I can feel it."

"Can you?" She stepped up until she was slightly above him on the stairs. "What do you feel?"

He squinted his eyes up a little. "Time. All the time, together. The vibrations in the steps could be from hundreds of years ago. And, open air. Like the sea. But..." He needed words to explain something he could only sense. "Still earthy. I want to say _green_, but that's too cliché. But it does. It smells green. Like, moss... and old time piled into the corners of the stones." He shook his head. "That doesn't make sense, does it? Do you get what I mean at all?"

"It's exact," Annie murmured.

He found her hand at her side and held it tightly. "It makes sense?"

"It makes perfect sense." He could tell she turned to him. "I'm closing my eyes just to let you know."

Auggie smiled to himself. "Okay. Can you feel the sea in the air? Put your bare hand on the stones and tell me you can't feel the soldiers of Oliver Cromwell storming this place, pushing past the ramparts..."

"Gahd, Auggie, is this how you always see?" Annie asked him, finally opening her eyes and turning toward him.

He smiled. "Sometimes. Sometimes I just make it up. But this, this I do feel. Is it crazy?"

"No," she leaned into him, her smile lazy on her words. "I think it's beautiful."

That let the full smile out of the bag, Auggie couldn't contain it, and he laughed. She caught him off guard in so many ways. He pulled her in and kissed her passionately on the battlements of the mediaeval castle. It was nearly as perfect as it could be.

Except cold. He felt Annie shiver, and he, too, felt the cold in his back. He gave her a little pat and she moved down ahead of him again. They took their time, Auggie being on unsure footing, but as Annie announce his final stair, he felt a huge sense of accomplishment. This wasn't even a pass for an op, or some intelligence gathering, which had at the time felt exciting, after sitting in Tech Ops all days. It was much more than that.

"What are you smiling about, Goof?" Annie teased him, hugging his arm.

"We were at the top of a friggin' castle in Ireland," he said. "I _never_ saw _that_ coming.

"

"Better than the DPD?"

"Oh, the DPD is like old crackers compared to this."

Annie giggled. "Did you get that from Mrs.O?"

"I have _no_ idea," he grinned. "Let's go to the Rock Close. If we saw Oliver Cromwell, this ought to _really_ give us some good vision, it dates back to the Druids."

"With ya, Dude," said Annie, letting him take her elbow. "To the Stones of the Druids."

He could hear the river running alongside, and Annie let him over to the druids' alter, and let him explore it with his hands. She told him everything she could see: the huge rocks that had been placed there thousands of years before, the yew tree that stood above the witch's kitchen (_"That tree is a thousand years old,"_ Auggie interjected.), the partial ruins of the castle above them.

"Do you want to go to the wishing steps?" Annie asked, peering at her pamphlet.

"Nah," said Auggie. "I already have my wish."

"Yeah," Annie mused. "Me, too."

"Wanna do it on the druids' alter?" Auggie asked with a lascivious grin.

He didn't see her one-sided smile and the roll of her eyes, but he knew that was what she was doing as she linked his arm in hers and they walked slowly back together through to the front of the park and connected with a taxi to take them back across to the B&B.

They were quiet on the way home, Annie tucked under Auggie's arm, looking out the window. All the field ops took a lot of watching, but not a lot of looking. Auggie knew Annie had not sat still and calm, just enjoying the present in so many of her travels. He knew she was used to watching out for _things_ that would happen, meets that would go down, but not seeing the hills beyond the buildings, the people beyond the mark. The heart could not be cured that way. He had heard the tension and heaviness wash out of her voice the more she looked and didn't watch. Auggie thought it slightly ironic that it was he showing her how to just _look_ again.

"What do you see?" he asked into her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"It's so old. And so... here. Like, it all just exists this way, all the time. Old amongst the new. No-one finds it odd that there is a castle in their back yard. It's all a part of them, all this history and all this present."

When they returned back, they were both starving. They had totally forgotten, in their excitement for the day, to eat anything but the two granola bars Annie had stashed in her purse. This was quickly and easily remedied with Mrs. Ó Caoimh's huge supply of hot food. She grilled them on their thoughts of the local attraction and their day, and they rewarded her with all the positive raves she could hope for.

"So when are you coming back for your Honeymoon, then?" she asked them flat out.

Auggie laughed uncomfortably, not because that wasn't the foremost thing on his mind lately, but because he didn't want to make the moment that it happened come sooner than they were both ready for. He heard Annie's open laugh and he turned to her, closing his mouth as he did, waiting for her response.

"Not sure yet, Mrs.O, but you'll be the first to know."

"Good, an' the married couple will stay here on the house. I love a fair bit of romance, don't you know."

Auggie chuckled, shaking his head. "We'll keep you completely in the know," he stood, unfolding his cane, his hand waiting. Annie's elbow was there in a moment and they thanked Mrs. Ó Caoimh for the wonderful meal and atmosphere and headed up to their room.

After the day, they felt a bit giddy, a lot tired, and very close to each other. Annie took the shot glasses and poured them each a shot of whiskey. Auggie sat her in one of the comfortable chairs, and he set his glass on the table before kneeling down in front of her, creeping his fingers along to find her foot. He pulled off her thick, soft sock, feeling her warm, perfect skin under his fingertips. He heard her intake of breath as he started massaging the soles of her feet. He rubbed expertly, working the muscles up her calves, pushing her jeans up to her knees. She sighed and moaned and thanked him repeatedly, and he kissed her knee and then the other.

"You never have to thank me, Annie. You deserve this. Especially after today. I really love to travel, Annie. I love to see new places. I have missed this, being stuck in that building. Being stuck..." He kept massaging her arch, his thoughts turning inward. He didn't do a lot of travelling. The music festivals in Istanbul were the extent of his travel lately. The whole thing was so much effort. And Eritrea had happened. It was all so exhausting. But not this. None of this had taxed his energy, his patience, or his pride. He could enjoy the adventure, feel the thrill of travel, and not be afraid, or on edge. That was what Annie brought for him. It always meant he would give her his best.

She pulled her feet from his hands after a long time, and grabbed his chin, kissing him hard as she stood. She took his hand and tugged him up and towards the bed. They had their clothes off without barely separating their lips and Auggie flipped her on her back and kissed her shoulders, making a trail along her collarbones.

"One question," Auggie whispered.

"What's that?"

"Are you going to tell me where we're going next?"

"Not on your life," Annie replied, pulling him to her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Just a little in-betweener update, splitting the chapters a bit. I'll be back, with all intentions, tomorrow with another one for ye. As per the usual, I don't make money off Covert Affairs. Apparently, neither did they. Or so they claim. At least I have kept all **_**my**_** fans happy. (Oh, bitch-slap) (And I use the word **_**fans**_** only descriptively, to make a point. I most certainly haven't a swelled head. Yet. Although those reviews have made my hat a **_**teeny**_** bit tighter.) Thanks, all!**

Chapter Ten

"You know, it's _way_ easier for you to keep me in the dark than it is for me to keep you there," Auggie said, throwing her that look that conveyed both dismay and incredulity.

"Oh, quit complaining. You know if you wanted to you'd have this totally pinned. You like this as much as I do." Annie said, as they made their way to the gate in the aeroport in Cork. Auggie had waited while Annie checked them through, and she'd boldly told the woman behind the counter to keep the destination a secret from him.

"I do," Auggie said with a sly grin as they travelled along the wide hallway through the people pulling wheeled suitcases. It surprised him that he did. He didn't like surprises or the unpredicted misstep. Or at least, not anymore. He'd wanted to still enjoy the unexpected, but it was too discomforting at times. This was not like that. He was totally relaxed with everything that was happening, he didn't worry if someone would try to take advantage of him or steal from him, he didn't have to worry about hours wasted being lost in a place where no-one spoke English and no matter what his phone told him, he wasn't in the place he needed to be. It was... almost easy. Easy enough that he had all the time in the world to enjoy the experience. To stop and smell the roses, as it were. He didn't even have to worry about the suitcases; Annie just stepped in when she was needed. It was a weird and new feeling for him, for one thing, he hated to let anyone do anything for him, and he hated to ask for help. But if he didn't sometimes have some help, everything just became so much more difficult and frustrating. And that in itself was frustrating.

This time, however, they made it through the checkpoint without incident, and were soon on the plane.

Auggie was grinning at Annie when she got herself settled in the seat beside him.

"You've figured it out," she stated.

"It wasn't hard. They actually said it, Annie."

"Yeah. I know. They sure know how to blow a surprise."

Auggie laughed. "I'm surprised you wanted to take me there."

"I'm not _taking_ you anywhere. We're going together. I've never been there with you and... well, I want to see it with you. From your side." She took his hand and he squeezed hers. "I never... we had too many other things happening when I was places with you before. I never got to... really feel it. This past little while has helped me to see some beauty. Thank you, Auggie."

"There was a dance we shared in Colombia that was kind of slow and nice," Auggie said.

"It never lasted long enough."

"I think I made up for it."

Annie's smiled was evident. "I think you have."

Auggie laughed. "That was pretty impressive. Well, except for the first few tries."

"I was impressed."

Auggie shook his head, making a face. "That's all I was trying to do." He bounced her hand up and down. "So, there's no music festival on right now. What kind of things are we going to do?"

"You told me about the things you love. I want to see them, too."

"Well, Annie, lately, it's all about feeling things."

"Then I want to feel them, too. And I can tell you about the seeing part."

"Thanks. Much appreciated."

Annie paused, and Auggie felt her looking at him. "I know you miss it. I sometimes don't know if you always _want_ to know how beautiful it is."

He tried to aim his gaze at her eyes. "I _always_ want you to tell me. I want to know. I need it, like when you read a good book, and it has descriptions you can see in your mind's eye, I want it all." He never wanted her to stop describing things so easily and perfectly to him. "Like when you brought me home from... Belenko... and you showed me the stars. Annie, I need that."

"Okay," she said, simply and honestly.

Auggie closed his eyes, almost smarting from the ease with which this conversation flowed. It was so easy to come back to her. He still couldn't believe the stupid mistakes they had both made to protect each other. Almost out of anger, it felt sometimes to Auggie.

A short layover, another plane, another embark, and then:

"Attention, passengers, we are now coming into Atatürk Airport. Please fasten your safety belts until we are ready to disembark..."

Auggie turned to Annie. "I'm really honoured that you chose this place, Annie. Especially after... what happened the last time."

"Yeah, well, I foolishly let you out of my handler's range, Auggie."

"No, you surely didn't. You did so much for me then. At the last minute, Annie, I was ready to kill him. I couldn't wait for the sound of that blade going between his ribs. He killed them all, and I wanted to feel him die. But... I wanted to come home. To you. To talk to you."

Annie was quiet. He hoped he hadn't gone too far. He dropped his gaze, feeling for his cane.

"I was so glad you did. I wouldn't have accepted anything less. Now, get ready, Soldier. You are going to show me around this city that you claim to know better than some Turks."

The grin came back to Auggie's face. The game was on. This was his territory. He let her move past him to grab their carry-on bags, and he stood to the side while she pulled down his back and passed it to him. He followed her down the aisle with his hand grazing the back of her coat.

"I hope it's warmer in Turkey."

"Not likely," said Auggie. "Wrong time of year, Sweet Cheeks. It's probably the same as we just left."

"Damn it. I should have picked somewhere warm."

"Yeah, why didn't you pick somewhere south of the equator, you silly girl."

They thanked the flight attendant and pilot as they headed out from the stale aeroplane air. At the bottom of the stairs, Auggie pulled up to Annie and turned her, pulling her in for a kiss.

"I'm glad you picked here. I'm glad I am here with you."

"I can finally see this great place you always tell me about. Auggie, I'm exited. I can't wait."

"Where are we staying?" Auggie asked as they started off again.

"I found a nice hotel that they so kindly set me up with. It's apparently pretty swanky, or at least that's what they said. Red and gold rooms... Fancy furniture."

Auggie shook his head, sticking out his chin and lip, "Nope, can't say as any of that interests me."

"I also heard that the beds are quite spectacular."

"I'm feeling persuaded," Auggie laughed.

F13F13F13F13F13F13F13

As soon as he stepped up into the place, he knew it. He wasn't sure how he knew, because, well, one hotel was another hotel was another hotel, just like one Mosque was another Mosque was another Mosque in his non-visual world. But he knew from the step, from the smell, from the echo of the ceiling.

"What is this hotel?" he asked her, turning his head, getting a bead on the sounds.

"Uh, it's called... Hotel Sapphire."

Auggie grinned. "Shit, Annie. This is my hotel."

"Really?"

"Really. I always come here."

"Wow. I totally did not know that. How weird is that?"

Auggie shrugged. "Apparently, nothing is weird when it comes to us."

They checked in and took their luggage themselves up to their room.

"Describe it to me," Auggie said, moving to map the room in his memory.

Annie watched him as she told him about the woodwork and the gold feature. She told him about the bright blue desk in the middle and the tall brass bed that was against the far wall.

"Okay, Stud," Annie said. "I'll forgive you because it was a long time ago, but isn't this where you shacked up with Franka?"

"I can't believe you remember her name, Annie," Auggie said, exploring the sitting area.

"Don't tell me you forgot it."

"I never forget anything. You should know that by now."

He moved around the sofa to trail his fingers along the table that stood behind. When she didn't answer he turned.

"Annie?"

"Sorry. I'm okay. I was just thinking about... stuff."

"Stuff?"

"No, it's okay. It's just stuff. Just... I'm glad I'm here with you this time, Auggie."

He made his way back to her. "I'm glad, too."

At that moment, 104dbs blared in the square. It was the _ezan_, the call to prayer. Auggie reached for Annie and she brought his hand to her waist. "We'd better stay here for a bit," he said. "We don't want to get in trouble. They kind of frown upon public displays of affection here and I don't think I can stop myself right now." He pulled her to him and she giggled as he kissed her. "So, what is on this itinerary of yours?"

"You."

"Me. Okay. But we can do that at home."

"No, Smartass. I mean, I'm leaving it up to the professional. You have this place dialed. I want you to show it to me. I want you to show me the markets and the Mosques and the people."

Auggie could barely wait. Just to stroll through the markets, letting her give him the visuals, drinking in the smells and the sounds, it made him excited to do that part of the travel. Not needing to find someone to take him to a destination. Not even needing a destination. Just meandering through, breathing the life around him, together beside her.

He wondered for a moment what her _stuff_ was. Maybe it was just the whole Franka thing, even though he knew that was all before they'd ever managed to realise it was each other they loved. Or maybe it was how he had gone on his own that time, only letting her in a little bit. Or maybe it was because he'd come clean in the end, and told her everything about that cursed Purple Heart that had cost him so many friends, so much pain, and the darkness he found himself living in for the rest of his life. She'd never really brought it up again, and other than his trip back to Iraq as a Battle Buddy, he'd never brought it up again either.

He wasn't really ready to bring any of it up now. He'd done enough soul searching about it in the past.

"This place is alive for a blind sightseer," Auggie told her. "There are so many people, so many accents and voices and sounds, and smells of spices and cooking meats. Sometimes the vendors can get a little rude to the American women. They like to rile you up. You won't be unaccompanied, and however macho this sounds, you won't be bothered as much if you stick with me."

"What was I going to do, Auggie, run ahead alone? I think we probably will both be safer if we stay together."

"Probably. Although you can take care of yourself, I don't worry there."

"Well, you're not too shabby in close-contact fighting."

"I'll keep your honour safe."

"Shall I wear the _chador_?" Annie asked, running her hands up and down his shoulders.

Auggie pretended to daydream. "Well, as long as that's all you wear," he said, his hands sliding up her back, his lips finding hers.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm enjoying the sights of the travelling, and I don't want to rush them into missing anything. So we're just gonna browse the scene, take our time, and enjoy the ride. I am already working on the next installment.**

**Of course, I don't own this awesome, unmatched, exciting show with its awesome, unmatched, exciting characters. That would be the USA Network. I will say no more about them.**

Chapter Eleven

"Okay," Annie said, scanning the scene in front of them. "I'm a little overwhelmed."

Auggie grinned, the smile crinkling his eyes. "Welcome to my world."

"How in the hell did you navigate this place?" Annie asked, leading them down the narrow street, people pushing past them, the shouts and calls from sellers ringing through the air.

"I usually found a friend."

"Uh hunhhhh," Annie said.

"No, I mean, a _friend_," said Auggie, seriously. His name's Kasim. He's... he's a great guy. I want you to meet him."

"Another friend who owes you a favour."

"Nope," Auggie said. "Just a friend." He felt himself smiling at the thought of Kasim, the big, soft-hearted Turk who had embraced Auggie wholeheartedly into his world of music almost seven years ago. That was a time when Auggie, frustrated and bitter and at a loss for his unit, needed to make connections to Billy, his buddy, and what had happened. He'd picked the jazz festivals half a world away to get away from his own world, and he had come home stronger, with a sense of hope and belief in himself. Kasim Demir had been a big part of that. Kasim, with whom he'd commiserated over _bira_ and then _raki_. Kasim who took him from listening to jazz, the jazz Billy had tried to make him like, to really hearing it. Kasim took him from seeing to hearing and he'd never even realised it, nor had Auggie thanked him for it. In a way, he owed Kasim the favour. He hadn't seen him in three years. He'd wanted to go back, but things had... happened.

"Is this friend a-"

"Guy, Annie."

"Oh."

Auggie pulled Annie to a stop. She guided him two steps to the side, and he put the cane in the crux of his arm as he took out his phone.

There were three rings, and then Auggie heard his friend's familiar voice.

"Hey,Kasim! It's Auggie! Yeah, I know, I'm here now!"

Kasim sounded happy. He asked to meet them later for drinks and _lahmacun,_ which Auggie told Annie was like a pizza. Auggie felt genuine happiness coming from his old friend's voice on the line. He couldn't wait for him to meet Annie.

"Why don't you come by my house, Auggie? I want you to meet my wife."

"You're married?" Auggie asked.

Kasim laughed. "Yes, Auggie. I got married. I have children."

"Really?" Auggie smiled. "This is news! Why do I not know this?"

"Ah, well, I have been busy, Auggie. And you?"

Auggie took a deep breath. "Busy. But I have time now. And I have someone I want you to meet, too."

Kasim recited his address for Auggie and Auggie filed it into his memory. After he hung up, he put his phone in his bag and took Annie's arm again.

Soon they were crossing a square and Auggie could hear the openness of it, flanked as it was by the buildings around it. The voices and shouts within bounced around within the space. Auggie again pulled Annie to a stop, turning his head, listening.

"You don't even need me to tell you, do you?" Annie whispered.

Auggie smiled, closing his eyes. "No, I can't picture this one pretty clearly."

They started up again. "Are you going in?" Annie asked. "To the Mosque, I mean."

"We'll catch the next one," Auggie said. When he was alone, it seemed right to go in, to listen to the size of the building and the sounds and reverence of the men within. But with Annie here, he wouldn't feel the same, going in without her, knowing she was just waiting outside.

"So, this friend of yours?"

"Kasim."

"How'd you meet him?"

"He's the sound engineer. And a damn good one. And a damn good man, too," he added quietly. "I was... kind of lost." He didn't say that it wasn't just physically lost. "He stepped in. Invited me to come along while he was setting up. I asked him to tell me everything he knew about the artists who would be playing, and... he kinda went jazz on me, went off on a smooth tangent about how the music takes part of your soul with it. We kind of bonded over it."

"When did you meet him?" Annie asked, more suspiciously.

"Uhh, six and a half years ago?" Auggie said. It didn't seem that long. Of course, he hadn't been there in a few years. Time passes.

He could practically hear Annie calculating in her head. He gave her a second.

"Wasn't that... right after your accident?"

"Yup."

"You are a true storyteller, there, Augs," Annie said, as they continued to stroll along through the people moving in and out and around them towards the docks.

Auggie sighed. Annie slowed and placed his hand on the railing along the edge of the dock. He listened to the water lapping against the boats moored there.

He turned toward her, keeping his hand on the rail. "Yeah. I met him after Tikrit. I was kind of in a bad place, as you may well imagine. I felt very disconnected to everything. Everyone at home stood on one side of me, not knowing what to do. I finished my rehab training and I couldn't take the sadness and pity and anger so I bailed and I came here. It was the one thing that I could connect with Billy. I needed to have some connection with him, I wasn't ready to deal with it and let him go. He talked about coming to this festival after the mission was done, and I thought that if I came here, it would be a tribute to him." He tried to give her a smile. "I was kind of in Kasim's way. He moved me around several times and then he just took some kind of ownership over me." He sighed. "Which I needed, I guess. I needed _someone,_ at the time. Kasim showed me all over, he told me about the history and the music here."

"How long did you stay?"

"Four weeks."

Annie smiled. "That's really great… that you met him. Right place, right time, right?"

"He certainly was the right person. He was the first person I met and got close to that didn't know me… before. He didn't compare me. He just took me as I was and showed me the music I needed. I came home in a much better place. And that was one of the things that pushed me back to my life. Back to the CIA. In some ways, Kasim saved my life." He shifted his posture. "So that's Kasim."

"I love him already," Annie said quietly.

Auggie grinned completely. "Okay. Right now, come on. Let's go through the market. I want to see how hot you look today."

"What?" Annie burst out laughing.

"You'll get it."

He knew she got it when they made their way down the narrow cobbled street in the market district. The venders got more aggressive and bold calling out to the pretty lady to come take a look at their wares. Auggie's smile just kept getting bigger. He knew the woman was a looker, that was obvious to him on Annie's first day, when Conrad Sheehan had fawned over her, flirting shamelessly. It became a total fact to him shortly after, because, well, everyone flirted shamelessly. The woman had never had any trouble finding men to accompany her. But every now and then, Auggie liked to hear the praise from the men around him for the woman that was beside him. The woman that was all his. _In a metaphorical kind of way_.

"I knew it. You're beautiful." He wanted to kiss her so much, but in this public place, it was not a good idea. So instead, he let his grip loosen and slid his fingers up her arm, and across her back. He kept it there for a few moments as they moved slowly through the people, before sliding it back to its familiar place.

"Deri eşyalar, Bayim, kanna için!" _Leather goods, Sir, for your wife!_

Hayir, teşekkür ederim," Auggie replied, shaking his head. "No, thank you."

"Belki bir deri bilizik?"

Auggie searched in his memory for the words. He stopped Annie. "Just a second."

"What are you doing?"

"Give me a second."

"What are you up to?"

"Don't lose me, I'm going in," He winked at her and moved toward the man, who chattered away, luring in his customer.

His hand outstretched before him, he used his cane to make his way over. "Bana bir bilezik gősterebilir miyim?" He asked, asking to see a bracelet, and the man laid a thick bracelet of soft, heavy leather into Auggie's hand. He examined it, feeling the snap closing it, the smooth edges, and the detailed toolwork. "Başka bir stil var mi?" He held it back to the man, and felt another tap against his hand. He felt this one, which was wider, though the same thickness and with the same snap to close it. It had a patterned edge, a border that ran around it. But the rest of it was plain. Or at least, it had no other tactile detail. "Fiyatı ne kadar?" He hoped the man wouldn't try to rip him off because of his blindness.

"For you, m'friend," said the man, patting Auggie on the arm, "I sell to you cheap."

Here we go, thought Auggie.

He got away with a lower price than he expected but a higher one than he preferred. As it was, he was feeling kind of proud of himself for the idea that was brewing in his head.

He walked back out from the shade of the tents, and stopped, turning his head. "Annie!" He called. He remembered hating to call out for people in public places. Sometimes you just had to be noticed, and get attention, but it still irked him that he had to sound like a rude ass to get the person he wanted.

He felt her come close. "Here, Auggie," she said, bumping her arm on his hand. "What were you doing? What did you get?"

"No, it's not ready yet," he said. "There's a whole production involved… I've heard the reviews, it sounds worth the wait."

"Agh, _groan_, Auggie!"

Auggie laughed. "We should get some tea."

"Sounds good to me, can we buy some to take back with us to the hotel?"

"My answer would be a yes on that. Is there anything you'd like to look at?"

"Everything."

"Okay, let's go look at everything."

"It's so busy and colourful and noisy," Annie said as they kept strolling along. "It's so different, but yet, I feel very much at home here."

"That's because you feel at home all over, Annie. It's never out of your circle of comfort. It's probably because of your moving around as a kid."

"You think that's it?"

"I do, and that will be a hundred dollars for that analysis."

Annie grinned, shaking her head, returning to describing what she saw.

"It's nice, actually describing this when you're here beside me, and not on a headpiece," Annie said, putting her hand on the one that was holding her elbow.

"It's nice, being here, having you to describe it to me," Auggie replied. "I… really do love this place. It means… well, it means a sense of hope to me. The city itself, the people, what it has been through, the pain of the history. But it's always moving ahead, a bit scarred up. There's hope after loss. I like that about it."

"I like that about you," Annie said bluntly. Staring at him.

He gave her a strangled smile. "I guess that's why I feel at home here."

"Come on, we should head back and get ready to meet your friend. Kasim, is it? I want to meet him. Tell him how much I appreciate him patching you back up and sending you back in to the game."

"I dread the things you will talk about," Auggie said. He grinned, not caring at the moment if they talked about his haircut all night. They were both important to him, each more important than they knew, and he wanted them to meet, to have some of his worlds come together without worrying about pain and miscalculated trust. Annie needed to meet Kasim. And Kasim needed to meet Annie, because Annie was going to be his wife. 


	12. Chapter 12

**If you speak Turkish, and I have mangled your language, I mean absolutely no disrespect. I actually found out lots of interesting things about Turkey, because, well, this is what I do. I use writing as an excuse to learn as much as I can and then spew it forth in a neat and less nerdy way, I hope, then I suck it in. Unlike my last two stops on their journey, I have no familiarity with Turkey, but you can be sure I'd make the trek if given the chance. This chapter is to the #CovertCrew, because, well, you keep me around and I love you for it. Be nice to a small creature today.**

**I do NOT own these characters. I only just expand on them because USA Network, who DOES own these characters, will not do it themselves. And so...**

Chapter Twelve

"This is the address," Annie said, coming to a halt. She stepped up two stairs, and Auggie followed. She knocked on the door, and they waited.

Auggie heard footsteps behind the door and then the door swung open.

"Auggie!"

Auggie's face lit up, hearing the voice of his old friend. "Kasım!" He smiled, opening up to the embrace his friend welcomed him with. "How are you, my friend?"

"I'm well, Auggie, come in, come in," He guided Auggie carefully over the threshold and Annie stepped in behind him.

"Kasım, I want you to meet... my girlfriend, Annie Walker." He couldn't believe he got to use those words. It made him almost puff up a bit. "Annie? Kasım." He didn't realise how much emotion he was feeling, and it almost showed when he spoke those names to each other. He smiled warmly as Annie hugged his old friend, and received the customary kiss to each cheek.

"It's so good to meet you, at last," Annie said. "Auggie's said many kind things."

"Auggie is a good man. Come, come in." Kasım moved down the narrow hall to the family room, and Auggie took Annie's elbow again and followed.

"Auggie, Annie, I want you to meet my wife, Aysun, and this is my daughter, Pðnar. She is two. And the little small bundle there is my boy, Tamer."

"Hello, Auggie," said Aysun, hugging Auggie to her, kissing him on both cheeks, letting his hands find the bundle as she did so. She hugged and kissed Annie as well, as Annie handed her the pastries they'd brought as gifts, as well as the package of candy for the children that Auggie wanted to buy, even though they were too young.

"It is good to meet you, Aysun," he said, meaning every word. It meant the world that he got to meet the family that Kasım had created since his last meeting. "Your husband sounds pretty proud."

"Come, come sit down, we must catch up, come, Annie, sit." Kasım led Auggie to a comfortable chair and Annie tucked in close beside him and watched the little play with her baby brother on the floor beside their father.

"You must excuse me for one moment, while I work in the kitchen. It is almost finish, but you can talk all your news," said Aysun, smiling at Auggie and Annie.

"Do you need any help?" Annie asked. Auggie smiled. Annie was always first to give a hand, the first to make a friend.

"No, thank you, you rest and stay, it won't be long."

Auggie leaned forward on his elbows. "So, Kasım, how did all _this_ happen?"

"Ah, well, you know the last time you were here."

"Do I ever."

"Yes, I must ask you where you went after all that?"

"It's a long story, man. It involved a woman, and... well, it's not appropriate any more, really." He felt Annie squeeze his hand. He knew it was a cover in poor taste, but it was all he could give.

"Hah, yes, Auggie, I can see where that might not be good to tell. Unless it was this woman."

"It kind of was this woman," Auggie said, amazed to think that he was right. "She brought me home safe, before I could really say goodbye."

"Well, I am happy for you both. You deserve some happiness, Auggie."

Auggie heard the baby gurgle and the little girl laugh, and he grinned. "Looks like you found yours."

"Yas. I met Aysun at that same festival. She has a lovely voice, Auggie, I must say, I was quite struck. She is a craftsperson and a musician. I am a very lucky man. And then, our daughter was born and I didn't think my life could get any happier. But it has. This young man here," and the baby cooed as his father spoke, "is a joy and a light." Annie and Auggie smiled at his happiness.

"Ben senin saçlarını seviyorum," Annie said to the little girl, and Auggie grinned. Always the girl, finding things to bond with other girls. Annie always remembered to tell little girls she liked their hair. Pðnar stood and came over to stand in front of Annie and Auggie.

"Gűzel," she said, sticking her fingers in her mouth.

"I agree," Auggie said, squeezing Annie's hand. "She is pretty."

"So you never told me about Annie before, Auggie. You've been holding out on me?"

"I wanted to keep her under wraps until we worked everything out. It's been a trial and a half."

"Where did you two meet?"

"She worked at the Smithsonian. She took me on a tour of the morgue. I really got to know her style pretty fast." Auggie smiled to himself, and his friend saw it. "But we took it slow. Until we didn't." He took a breath. "And then, all hell broke loose, Kasım, and we kind of lost each other for a while."

"But you found each other again," Kasım said. "The way it should be."

"It is," Annie jumped in, and Auggie's grin grew.

"And you, Annie, love my friend, Auggie?"

"I surely do," Annie said, glancing at him, her voice filled with pride.

"Then that is all I need to hear. It is all good."

"Akşam yemeği hazır. Gel!" Aysun called her family and her guests in to the table. Annie led Auggie in and placed his hand on the back of the chair where Aysun had gestured.

"The _lahmacun_ _is_ like pizza," Annie said quietly. "I think you can use your hands. There is _raki_ at twelve O'clock at the top of your plate. There is water to the left of that. There's a dip or sauce on the right of the plate. It looks good." Auggie waited until Annie was seated. He knew Ayson would be still on her feet, serving, so he sat, taking the napkin Annie handed him.

"It _smells_ even better," Auggie said. Even if forks and knives were usually at the table, his hosts had conveniently left them off. Sometimes people were uneducated jerks, and sometimes, just sometimes, there were people that made everything easier without it being any kind of special thing. Those people were special. Those people were keepers.

The meal was a delight for taste and smell. Auggie savoured the flavours of Aysun's fine cooking. He felt a little lightheaded from the liquor that Kasım kept topped up, but this was soon remedied with some Turkish coffee.

"Remember not to drink to the bottom, Auggie," Kasım said, tapping his friend on the arm as he served the coffee. Auggie took the cup from him and nodded, smiling. He'd done that the first time he'd had Turkish coffee with Kasım and ended up with a mouthful of grounds that he spat back into the cup, much to his new friend's enjoyment.

Annie left the men to their coffees and began to help Aysun tidy up, and Kasım tapped Auggie's arm, suggesting they move back into the main living room. Auggie stood, taking his cup in his right hand and Kasım's elbow in his left, and followed him back to the comfortable chair he'd been sitting in before.

"So, my friend," said Kasım. "You have a wonderful woman there."

"I can say the same for you," Auggie said. "I'm really happy for you, man. This is great," Auggie motioned around him. "You sound happy."

"This, Auggie, has made me a very happy man. I have somewhere to come home to at night. I have responsibilities, some people to care for, to want the best for. It is worth everything for me." He heard Kasım sip his coffee. "What about you, Auggie? Is it something you want, too? I remember when you told me that it was, and that you hoped it could still be. It's a hard thing, keeping a family happy and safe, but if anyone is up to the task, it's you, my friend. I have no doubts when it comes to you."

Auggie took a drink. He spoke low. "You know it was what I wanted. And I worried about what kind of a husband I'd make. And father. It's what I wanted but I had serious doubts."

"And now?"

"The first part, I am sure about," he smiled. "I want to marry Annie."

He heard his friend smile. "I can tell by your face. How you look at her."

"I don't _look_ at her, Kasım," Auggie laughed.

"Yes, you do." Kasım stood, taking Auggie's cup. "More coffee? Or _bira_?"

"I'm okay, thanks."

"So, when is this wedding?" Kasım asked him, smiling.

"Ah, that I'm not so sure about. Annie and I have... been through a lot. I've never loved anyone like I love her, but... it was complicated. We're just starting to figure things out. We're taking this time to get to know one another again, away from everything."

"She makes you happy."

"She sure does. She drives me crazy. In mostly good ways. And even the crazy-driving ways, it's good." He took a deep breath. "She's so different than anyone I've known. Especially since, well, you know. It's like she knows exactly what I need. Almost before I know myself. It's always been like that with her."

"You met her after your accident, Auggie?"

"Yeah. Two years after."

"She never had any doubts about your capabilities..."

"I don't think so. Maybe once. I'm not sure."

"If I had a woman who only doubted my capabilities only once, I'd build her a platform and give her a trophy. I see the way she looks at you, my friend, and I think you know how, even if you cannot see it. Whatever you two have been through, it obviously will build you stronger ties. And those stronger ties can also support children."

Auggie knit his brows together. "I don't know about that part yet. I mean, I know I can look after Annie. I mean, she doesn't _need_ me to look after her, but we look after each other. A baby would _need_ me to look after it, and I don't know if I can be that responsible. It scares me, Kasım. To be honest."

"Do you tell these things to Annie?"

Auggie chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "We haven't got anywhere near that yet."

"You probably should. You know. She may have some opinions. I think you may need to hear them."

Auggie squinted his eyes at Kasım. "I don't want to give her doubts about me," he admitted. "About my own doubts on being a father."

"Every man has doubts, Auggie. And yet, we go on, doing the best we can. You think I knew what to do with that little girl over there? I surely didn't. And how will I protect her until she is old enough to make her own decisions. And a _boy_! How do I make him the man I will respect? How do I keep him from straying? How do I make sure he treats others with respect? It's a daunting task, Auggie, but it is so rewarding, that soon your fears will calm." Kasım smiled. "I've watched you get stronger since I first met you."

"Yeah, I was a hot mess," Auggie stated, almost to himself.

"You were very lost, my friend. I think you have found yourself. You have gained so much confidence. And you have the confidence of Annie. You're not in that place anymore, Auggie, and I am guessing you are in a better place right now than even before when you could still see."

Auggie thought about it. He had thought this for a while now, and he knew it was completely true. "I wouldn't trade my life with Annie for sight," he said honestly. "I wouldn't trade it."

"Then you know you have made the right choice."

Auggie heard those words clearly.

"You can do anything with her by your side. It is how I feel about Aysun."

Auggie smiled to himself. Kasım watched him as the words sunk in. This man had earned all his respect when he'd met him six years ago, and each year that he'd come back, he'd earned more. He had missed seeing Auggie over the past few years, but he'd known he'd run into his friend again. Auggie didn't let anything stop him for long. The less Auggie had panicked, the slower and more carefully he had taken things, the more amazing the results. When Auggie was able to figure out his own way of doing things, he did them better than anyone else. He'd watched Auggie figure out the sound mix board, how to fine tune the sounds that he could hear so clearly. He'd watched Auggie forget about his eyes for a while as he concentrated on his ears, and it had given him peace of mind knowing that he may have given Auggie some coping skills. Auggie's appreciation for music developed into a full passion, and Kasım saw how, when in moments of deep anxiety or sadness, Auggie began to turn to that music and to understand it. He saw that it started to bring him to a positive, hopeful place, so that he could appreciate the highs as well as the lows.

"You can do whatever your heart tells you, my brother," said Kasım. "Whatever you set your mind to. And you needn't worry about being a father. The skills all come from the love you feel for the child. You figure it out."

Auggie nodded. "I have a favour to ask. Is Annie looking?"

He heard Kasım turn in his seat. "No, you are safe."

Auggie felt for his messenger bag to his right, and opened the flap, searching for the package. "I bought this and I want to make it special for her. I need a leather punch. A belt punch, anything."

"What will you do with it?'

"I'm going to Braille it. With holes instead of bumps." Auggie grinned. "She told me she wanted to learn it. I figure this is as good a time as any."

"You are always a genius, my friend. We're in luck, my wife is a craftsperson, and she has a tool for you. Let us go find it." He called to his wife that he was showing Auggie around, and Annie peered out at them.

They found the tool and Auggie sat on the floor of the bedroom, punching the code perfectly by touch into the soft, thick leather band. M-Y H-EA-R-T She would have his heart. She would carry it with her to never forget. He was offering it to her openly.

"I have something for you," Kasım said, taking Auggie's hand and placing two small stones in it. "You can put them on each side. Make bigger holes there, and we can put them in to stay."

Auggie felt them between his fingers. They were smooth and round. "What are they?"

"Tiger eye," Kasım said. "I thought maybe... you could give her your eyes in return." He watched his friend. A small grin pulled at his mouth and then it spilled over his face to his eyes. He reached over and pulled Kasım into a hug.

"Thanks, my friend, they're beautiful. Can you help me put them in this?" He held up the finished bracelet.

"I'd be honoured to do this for you."

They worked at the bracelet for a few more minutes, until the stones were securely mounted and sealed into place. Auggie ran his fingers over it, a smile gently tugging his lips. "It's just right," he said. He put it safely back in his bag and they returned to the other room, where the women were indulging themselves with cuddling children. Annie had the little girl seated proudly beside her and the baby in her arms.

"Auggie. Come sit," she said, and Auggie stepped forward from Kasım's arm when he was close, and let her steer him in. As soon as he was within her reach, she touched his hand and he followed her contact to his seat.

He felt Annie shift toward him as a bundle of blankets was pushed gently into his arms. He remembered holding Joan and Arthur's baby, and after the conversation he had just had, he felt the urge to hold this little boy and let the weight of the bundle warm his heart.

He moved his gaze up to where they might be. "Can I... it is okay if I touch his face and fingers?"

Kasım and Aysun assured him that it was perfectly okay for Auggie to be able to see the baby the way he needed to.

Auggie touched the baby's soft cheek, and felt the baby wriggling and kicking. "Hello, Tamer. Your old man is a pretty amazing man. You'd do well to listen to his advice," he whispered to the little baby. He felt Annie's hand on his back as she leaned into his side, watching the baby, feeling so close to Auggie.

"He's beautiful," he said to Annie.

"You got that right," she replied, softly.

"You will make wonderful parents," said Aysun, and Auggie sent a surprised look to Annie. What had _they_ been talking about while they were out there on their own?

He didn't need to hear a reply. He felt Annie's hand squeeze his arm as the one on his back pressed gently. And she cooed to the baby, as if that was all that needed to be said.

_Maybe_, thought Auggie, _just maybe, this can be done. And maybe, just maybe, I'm strong enough to do it. _ With Annie beside him, what _couldn't_ they do? So far, nothing had met their match. Not one thing.


	13. Chapter 13

**I think I will marry you all.**

**Thank you for the kindness.**

**My gift in return:**

**I own no part of Covert Affairs. If I owned it, we wouldn't be sitting around feeling so sad. We'd be waiting for a new exciting season. However, instead, USA Network owns it. And, cue the sobbing.**

Chapter Thirteen

It had been a great evening. Annie and Auggie had been persuaded to have a couple of glasses of the Turkish beer, and Annie helped Aysun put the children down, before she returned to Auggie and her glass. She'd asked Kasım a few questions about when he'd first met Auggie, but she did not intrude on a very deeply personal friendship. She knew that time was a hard place for Auggie to talk about, and she didn't want the two men to reflect on sadder days, but to enjoy the friendship that came out of it.

Auggie had lost a lot of friends. More than most people would ever lose in a lifetime, in the run of ten years. So many friends and lovers had died by violence. Annie had lost a lot, but not nearly as much as Auggie. This past year had caught up with him. When Annie had seen him after he was cleaned up and his wounds from Belenko's torture were tended to, her heart had torn for him. He looked so lost, so tired. For him to even entertain the notion of leaving the Agency, she knew he was worn down and raw. Too many lives. He needed this time with Kasım, someone who had never had any involvement in spy craft or war, someone who only brought good change to Auggie's life.

When they left, the two friends hugged tightly.

"Hey, you come visit us," Auggie said. "I mean, it, Kasım. I want you to come, come stay with me... and..." Auggie smiled, and then he laughed. "We'll work it out," he said, and Kasım squeezed Auggie's arm.

"And you, my friend, you come back. You can't miss another festival, Dude. We have a good line-up already, you will like it, I am sure of it."

"You know what, if we can swing it, it's a date." He turned to Kasım's wife. "Aysun?" She walked into his embrace. "It was so truly great to meet you. Take good care of this man for me. He means a lot to me."

"I will, Auggie. It is good to know you, too, finally. And Annie," she turned and hugged Annie. "You are welcome to our home any time you are in Turkey."

"Thank you, Aysun. Kasım?" Annie moved to hug Auggie's friend. She felt a lot of emotion toward this man. When she pulled back, he smiled at her. She wiped a tear and smiled back.

Back at the hotel, Auggie was quiet, but Annie could see total contentment and joy on his face. She put her arms around his neck and walked him backwards into the room after they took their coats off.

"You know the best people," she said with a grin.

"I do," he replied.

"So you and Kasım got drunk a few times," Annie teased.

"A couple." He paused, smiling into her hair. "So you liked him?"

"I love him. He's kind and... he has a very good heart."

Auggie pulled back, feeling something between his sternum and his belly button tighten and clench. He bit his lip, his first attempt at a word caught in his throat. He tried again.

"What does he look like?"

"Auggie?" Annie sounded bewildered.

"I never knew... I never asked. I mean... I didn't know the protocol then, asking people to tell me what they look like. I still don't know what he looks like. I mean, I know he's a little taller than me and he's a solid guy..."

Auggie had reached the edge of the bed. He sat and folded up the cane, setting it beside him. Annie moved over and sat beside him. He angled his body toward her, knowing she would answer him.

"He looks like a Pearl Jam fan," Annie said and Auggie laughed. "Well, you're right about his height and size, of course. He... he looks rumpled and loveable. His hair's a bit lighter than yours, and it's long, shaggy curls, and he has a kind of a tidy messy beard thing going on. He has a kind of baby cheeks face, but he looks like he knows a lot about the world. I don't think I thought he looked like a Turk when I first met him, but it's in his smile."

"He has turkey in his smile. Hmmm, I don't even think I will go there."

"Eye-roll."

"Yeah. Ditto. That was bad. Still. A Turkish smile. Interesting." Auggie closed his eyes for a moment, then he turned his head toward Annie before opening them again. "He seems to be content. Proud of his family."

Annie smiled and squeezed his arm and then stood. "I need to have a coffee. I don't care what time it is. What time is it?"

Auggie popped up the crystal and felt his watch face. "Can I tell you tomorrow? Or rather later today? Or would you rather I hadn't said that? It's tomorrow."

"Give it to me, I can take it."

"It's about three–forty."

"Ugh, I am exhausted, no wonder I am exhausted. I don't want coffee, do I? I feel like I should have some."

"Have some. Have some. We can sleep in. God knows this whole thing has destroyed any sense of internal time, I may as well just go with it."

"We have no set time. We're just going with the wind and the sea. When we get back home, I promise I'll get your schedule back in order, reset you like a clock." She moved to the other side of the room.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"No... I'm good, thanks."

Annie had the machine working in a moment. She came back to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied, turning his face down to her.

"I can't believe we are actually doing this. I mean, we haven't stopped anything, we're just putting some things on hold. I think this was a really good decision, especially after everything all came to a head for us at the same time."

"I agree," Auggie said.

"Auggie?"

"Annie."

"What happened back there? With Belenko? I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but... Geez, Auggie. I hate to tell you how terrible you looked, but..."

"Yeah. If I looked anywhere as shitty as I felt, I can imagine the state of me."

"He hit you. Auggie-"

"Annie, I don't want to talk about it."

"It took you four years to tell anyone about your Purple Heart—to tell _me_ about it. We learned how to get along in Langley by going to Allen's and letting off some steam. Tell some truths, lighten some loads, drink some beer."

"Look who's talking?" Auggie said, only half-joking.

"I know, that's what I'm saying. We both stopped talking. It was why you ended up in the drunk tank the first time. And this time, you ended up in a far worse place. I can't even tell you how scared I was, Auggie. Really, soul-ripping scared. I realised what really matters to me. I don't know what I was doing, saying I didn't need a team, that I didn't want any emotional ties. I know you didn't believe that, I thought I did when I was saying it, but I never did. It was all just to cover up that I was hurt, that I was still angry and scared about everything that had happened with Henry Wilcox, with my heart. I didn't want this condition to tear us apart _again_. How many times, Auggie? I couldn't hurt you. I'd only wanted to protect you."

"I want to protect you, too. As your handler... as your partner..."

"Who do you talk to? I mean, Auggie, you never talk about your family, or anyone close... Who do you talk to when you're scared or... angry? I had Danielle... Maybe that's where my bad decisions started, I didn't have her to go to. And you..."

Auggie bowed his head, not knowing how to take the moment. He didn't talk. That was _his_ problem, probably since he was young. He mulled quietly, and shut others out, and then in the heat of the moment when it had built up, he made rash, dangerous decisions. He'd done it again and again and again. And each decision had made everything worse. Except for his decision to come to Turkey, where he'd met Kasım, and in tiny patches, as they worked around the music, he'd given up a few of his inner thoughts. The times he had stopped and talked to Annie, he had stopped making rash decisions. She _had _brought him back from here the last time he'd been here, having made a rash decision once again.

"What happened, Auggie?" Annie whispered, and he felt her hand brush the hair curling around his ear. "Clearly you did _not_ talk. I know how it is, you can't forget Russia."

Auggie sat back up, facing her. She had known the fear of possible pain, torture, and imminent death, and wondered if anyone would find her.

"I guess we're couple of really great spies. Real assets for the Agency."

"You didn't talk, either. But he hurt you."

"The pain, I can forget about. I was scared he'd find you. He'd killed so many, I was scared he'd kill you to make me feel his anguish. I don't care about the bruises, they can heal."

"It wasn't just the bruises. You are tough. Did he threaten me?"

"No. I don't think he knew about you... specifically. We weren't really an item in the news."

Annie just peered at his face, trying to read his expression.

"It was my ears," Auggie said quietly. "He vowed he'd make me deaf, too."

He felt Annie's hands take his own, and then she dropped them both and held him close for a long time. He pulled her tight and felt that clenching in his middle melt away, the heat from her body, the warmth of the arms around him, the nearly imperceptible beat of her heart, all giving him the reality of the moment he was in.

When Annie had composed herself from feeling the pain Auggie must have felt with this notion of Belenko's, she sat back. "I would not have ever let him do that to you," Annie said. "I can't imagine how scared you were, Auggie."

"Yeah. Well, it didn't happen, did it? I'm still all good. Or four/fifths good." He grinned at her wearily but there was no response. A look of confusion crossed his face.

"You're all good, Anderson. I'd say you're as close to perfect as I can see."

A genuine smile beamed on his face. "Just a sec," he said, patting her knee and standing up. He went back to the table where he'd left his messenger bag, and found the bracelet and a little card he'd made for her when she was getting ready in the bath earlier. He crossed back to the bed, carefully, and Annie guided him back to his seat with his hand. He put the card beside him and found her hand. He encircled just above her thumb with his left hand and, feeling the inverted Braille, placed the leather band around her wrist, snapping it on, and letting go so she could look at it.

"Auggie! This is beautiful," she whispered. "What does it say?" She looked up at him. "Is this my first Braille lesson?" She warmed at the honey-sweet smile that went right to his eyes.

"Yup." He said, feeling for the card. He grinned and held it out to her. "Crack the code, you know the answer." He stood. "I need to clean up a bit, you figure it out."

Annie stood and took his face in her hands, guiding him in for a kiss. She kissed him long and hard, not to start anything, just to convey the love and emotion she felt at the moment for him. When he broke away, he could almost swear he could hear her smiling. He grinned, self-consciously, and made his way to the bathroom.

"Oh, by the way, I chose our next location," Annie called. "I figured I was on a roll!"

Auggie stopped for a second, his hand touching the door. His heart swelled inside his chest. Nothing bad came of talking to her. In fact, he felt better for having done so. He needed to learn this new lesson.

After this shower, he stepped from the steamy bathroom wearing the towel he found there. Before he could make it to his suitcase to find something to pull on, Annie's arms were around him.

"Woah!" he laughed. "Couldn't wait for me, Walker?"

"I figured it out," she said softly.

"I had a hunch it wouldn't take you long."

"Auggie. You gave me your heart?"

"I am giving you my heart. I'm doing it a bit at a time, but I'm not going to make those same mistakes again. I want this. Forever."

"Me, too," she gasped. "Forever, Auggie. Any mistakes, we make them _together_ and we come out of them _together_."

He shook his head in amazement. "Even after all this? Even with who I am? All the baggage?"

"We'll unpack all the baggage, Auggie, and you can put it away. You don't need to carry it around with you anymore."

He let out a deep breath. "I'm gonna say the same for you."

She kept her arms around his waist. "It wasn't our time," Annie said. "But it is from now on. I'm here, and I'm never going to leave your side again."

He chuckled. "You might not feel that way when I spend hours into nights working out code."

"Well, if I get bored, I'll sleep in your bed. And hold you when you come back."

Auggie kissed her, harder than before, and he gave up the notion of finding something to put on. He turned Annie and pushed her gently to the bed, and she pulled him down with her, barely letting her lips part from his.

"New goals," Annie gasped out. "Sex with you in every country in the world."

"I'd better get my passport renewed," Auggie laughed, tracing the line of her shoulders and collarbone with his fingers, following with his lips.

"Let me stamp that," Annie giggled, and Auggie's laughter rang out before the only sounds were the sounds of their love for each other, as they came together without darkness between them. There may be heavy times ahead, but he could face anything with Annie. He would face anything with Annie. And she would be always taken care of, in all capacities that Auggie had, which, in a strange truth, were more than any other person she had ever met. He had and would go to the ends of the earth for her. He had never let her fall, and he never would.


	14. Chapter 14

**This is for you. And you know I mean you.**

**I own no part of Covert Affairs. That would be USA Network. And we all know what happened there. I will be better with our friends than they were. I will give you the whole book, I won't rip out the last part and throw it away. I also can continue indefinitely because I actually care about this show and the people who love it.**

Chapter Fourteen

Their flight didn't leave until late afternoon, so Auggie took Annie on another tour of the city he'd come to know. He'd never been to Istanbul when he could still see, but he felt it more than he ever remembered seeing anything.

Annie was an interested learner. He loved that about her. She liked to know about the ground she was walking on. And Auggie could tell her things. He always had been good with facts and trivia, and he'd always been interested in the history of the different places he was lucky enough to travel to.

By mid-afternoon, Auggie was in sensory-overload from the spices and meats and the calls to prayer, as well as from the traffic and the soliciting of everything from food to clothing to religion. Annie agreed that it was a bit overwhelming, so they headed back to the hotel to pack up and have a rest. It was intended to be a rest; however, due to circumstances of the two of them not being able to keep their hands off one another once they were in the privacy of their own room, the actual resting never happened.

Auggie sighed as they waited to board the plane. If he could only travel without the hassle of aeroports; even with Annie's arm, it exhausted him. He was relieved when they finally were seated in the plane. He rested his head back and realised he was still holding Annie's hand pretty tightly in his own.

"So," he said, not letting go, not opening his eyes.

"So," she replied.

"How did you pick this stop?"

"There are a few reasons. One is that you love Istanbul for your many reasons, and I love Austria. Another is my surprise for you, and you'll just have to wait to find that one out."

"More surprises," Auggie laughed.

"You should not talk," Annie said, admiring her bracelet. "You're like a surprise guru."

"You like that?" Auggie took a guess that she was looking at it.

"It's so beautiful, where did you find it? I didn't see any like it at that place we stopped."

"Yeah, that was hard. I knew I couldn't hide something from you when you're the one who's looking. But I wanted to make it special. I did that part for you." He reached over, brushing down her arm to touch the bracelet. "And the stones were a gift from Kasım. He said they're my eyes for you, because you are always giving me yours."

"Oh, Auggie..." Annie reached up and placed her hand on his cheek so that he could _see_ her genuine thanks to him.

"We're doing this."

"We're doing this."

Auggie grinned, leaning back again. "Surprises," he said softly. He remembered a surprise that wasn't as fun. The night he had come back to his apartment and Tash had waited beside the door, jumping at him and yelling _surprise!_, all because she liked how he looked when he was surprised. He had been too shocked at the time to say much about it, but he had had several similar events happen with Tash that showed just how naive about blindness she really was. Or maybe it had been denial. She had been with him before it happened, and she never really talked to him about it. She just glossed over it, making random comments about Annie being his Seeing Eye Dog.

Surprises.

He drifted off to sleep.

F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13

They made their way through the Vienna International Airport slowly and surely. It was busy at this time of year for tourists heading to the slopes and other winter delights in the beauty of Austria's many charms.

Auggie tried not to pass any of his discomfort on to Annie. It wasn't her fault. He tried to enjoy the travel experience as much as he could, to look at it as an unexpected series of new things to overcome. Especially knowing he was safe and wouldn't get lost or miss his flight these days. And he didn't have to ask for a stranger to lead him to his plane any more, a small blessing and a welcome one. He couldn't wait to get out to the little cottage Annie had secured for three nights, situated within walking distance to the museums and restaurants and other cultural affairs.

"You're not the only one with connections, Buddy," she said to him with a sly grin as they climbed into the taxi.

"I never doubted you for a minute." He smiled, feeling her hand creep around his. She always touched him, just to show him what she was expressing, to connect to him, to let him know she was walking behind him, or when she was leaving the room, she never left him guessing. It was one more of the things that amazed him about her. And the funny thing was, he'd never told her to do this. He'd given her a heads up on her first week about the Sighted Guide technique and shown her his modified assistive technology spread throughout his work station, but everything else, she had come up with on her own.

The cottage, once they were in, was just as Annie had seen in the pictures her friend had sent. It was bright and spacious and modern. Annie gave Auggie the run-down and he took his customary exploration of the rooms while Annie got things situated and let him know what it was he was checking out every now and then.

"Tired?" Annie said, when he joined her on the comfortable and clean couch.

"I feel better, actually," he said. "I think I slept on the plane for a long time."

"Well, a while, I think. But it is getting late. Do you want to go get something to eat?"

"Was just gonna ask you the same question."

"Shall we stroll?"

"I'm so tired of planes and taxis, yes, please, let's."

"It's milder here. It's above 35."

"That's above 0 here, you know. Get your travelogue on."

"Okay, Smartypants. It's still cold enough I need a hat and mittens. I'm not a tough guy like you."

Auggie smiled, remembering saying that to her when he'd been shot in the shoulder. He grinned at her. "I'd say you're pretty tough. I might even say you're badass."

She bopped him lightly on the arm and stood up. "I'm actually starving," Annie said, retrieving their coats. She touched Auggie's hands with it and he grabbed it, putting it beside him, and standing to help her with her own coat first. He pulled on his own jacket and unfolded his cane.

"Where shall we partake of something to sup upon?" Auggie asked, moving to the door to open it for Annie. He misjudged by a little and had to feel his way along the wall until he reached it, and then he searched for the doorknob, swinging it open it a flourish. "Ta da! Only three tries!"

"You'll get it," Annie said, offering her arm as they stepped out the door.

They strolled down the old streets, and Annie gave Auggie a whole run-down of everything she saw. They agreed on a restaurant that looked traditional and quiet and attractive, and were seated immediately.

Annie read the menu to Auggie, knowing that even if there were a Braille menu available, it would be in German. As much as Auggie tried to learn the basics of languages, reading a menu in German when he was hungry was not something she was going to put him through.

Auggie chose the veal wiener schnitzel and Annie tried the Selchfleisch. They tried each other's food, and took their time to enjoy. Annie gave Auggie the visuals on the people he was listening to around him. She got very descriptive, and they both began starting to make stories up about those voices around them.

"I'm still hungry," Annie said. "I need dessert. They have fantastic pastries here."

Auggie smiled. "Of course you can have dessert." He waved his hand in the air, and then turned. "Did anyone see me?"

"Yeah, here she comes."

Auggie grinned to himself. It was sheer luck that he waved when someone was actually looking. Although, when he thought a bit more about it, Annie could have waved for someone when she saw them look over. And the best part about it was, it didn't matter. If she _did, _she didn't do it because she was speaking for him, she didn't do it because he was incapable of getting a waiter's attention. If she _had_ waved a waiter down, it was only because the opportunity arose for them to get what they wanted without any hassle or time wasted. She didn't care about who got the attention of the waiters, what she cared about was getting dessert. Auggie smiled, hearing the woman approach their table.

"Are you finished? Would you like some dessert?"

"We'd _love_ some," Auggie said. "What do you have? Give us the low-down." He gave her a big smile. He knew it still worked. He hadn't seen how his smile crossed his face in seven years, but he knew that it got him some distance with the ladies. And he was just testing it out, just to keep in touch with what his face did; he knew that the only person he truly wanted to impress was the person sitting across from him.

"Oh my God," Annie said. "Please get me the _Sachertorte_, that sounds amazing."

"Two layers of chocolate cake with apricot jam in the middle?" Auggie said. "Sometimes, Annie, your capacity for chocolate astounds even me."

"Yeah, well, we're going to be walking a lot. I need the energy."

Auggie grinned. "That's tomorrow," he said, winking in her direction. He turned back to their server. "I'll have the _Apfelstrudel_," he said. "And a coffee."

"Certainly, sir. And for your lovely lady? A coffee?"

Annie smiled at Auggie. "Yes, please," she said, not taking her eyes off him.

Auggie turned his head a bit, listening to the waiter leave their table. "So what's on our agenda for tomorrow that you need all this energy for? I intend on draining some of that energy before the morning, I'll just have you know. Got a passport of love to stamp."

"I am _so_ giving you a dirty look right now."

"Maybe so, but I know you don't mean it," he sang, with a grin on his face to tease her. He heard her giggle and he reached across the table, instantly getting the feedback from her own palm crossing his.

"I've done my research," she said. "This one's gonna wow your socks off."

"Really?

"Yup. I'm not even gonna give you a clue."

Auggie laughed, raising his chin up, and turning his head. "I think I should be infuriated with your secrets. But these ones," he squeezed her hand, "I am pretty okay with. Unless you're planning on Alpine skiing."

"Oh, Auggie, you don't even _know_ how hot I look in ski wear."

Auggie pretended to imagine it, and Annie slapped the back of his hand with her free hand lightly. He turned his face back to her. "I'll let you surprise me. You sound pretty pumped about whatever this is." He squeezed her hand again. "I trust you implicitly."

"I would never lead you anywhere that I wouldn't go myself," she said, smiling.

"That doesn't really comfort me," Auggie laughed.

Their sweets arrived, and Annie made enough happy sounds while she ate hers that Auggie already felt like he had her in bed. His was good, too, but he was getting impatient to get her back to the rented cottage.

After they paid and tipped their server, they left, arms around each other, taking their time, Annie making sure Auggie was aware of any changes in the footing, just so she could hold him closer. He thought the same thought again: he would never walk this way with anyone else. Together, walking like this, they were two equal lovers. He knew she did this for him.

The walk back to their residence increased Auggie's anticipation of making love to her. She was talking in that voice that drove him crazy, that sly, sexy voice that teased every hair on his body to stand up. He couldn't wait to get her back to that bed. He wasn't sure how he had fallen in love with her even more than yesterday, but it appeared to be true. There were some things that defied all odds, and there were some kinds of love that managed the same. Never had he felt so in tune with anyone in his whole life, sighted or blind. He was so glad they had both given up their pride and their stupidity about not needing each other. Or maybe, just maybe, they had not done anything. Maybe it had happened because they were meant to be walking together, arm in arm, down the streets of Vienna on a cold clear night in January. And no matter what had happened, this was how it was supposed to be.


	15. Chapter 15

**Annie really goes all out, doesn't she? But why not, I mean, we ALL know how much she loves this man of hers. Well, **_**we**_** do, but, you know, some of the writers at CA, and some of the creators of the show may have had a few weird ideas. We know they were just a little confused. I hope this helps them a little, should they ever come across it. And they can all be assured that I KNOW I don't own any of it. But I do own the words on the page and how I arranged them just so. Typos and all.**

Chapter Fifteen

"Hey, Babe," Annie whispered to him full of smile. Auggie immediately felt the hugest grin cross his face, feeling her breath above him.

"Morning," he said, receiving her kiss. "Wait. It _is_ morning, right? You're not waking me at some ungodly hour for my body, are you?"

"While this may have happened, were I not exhausted from your body last night, no, it is indeed morning. And you, my sexy, hot, boyfriend, have a day planned."

"Do I, now?" he asked, flipping her over, and nuzzling her neck.

She laughed, that laugh that burst out of her and made him chuckle himself. "I went to a lot of work for this!" she admonished him.

"I know! You were on that laptop forever!"

She giggled. "That's because I could _not_ figure it out! You have that thing totally inaccessible."

"Welcome to my world, how's it feel?" he teased her, kissing her gently. He stopped when she didn't respond. "Annie? I'm kidding, you did fine. You navigated it fine."

"Once you turned everything on, off, and everything off, on, and made it all work." Annie said.

"That's what I do," Auggie said smugly, that quirky pride in his voice. "Okay. So what is this day all about? What am I wearing? Please don't say a tux. Although I do look good in one of those, so I can see your point if you do."

"Casual comfortable. We're walking, right?"

"As long as it's not slippery or snowed in, I am good with that."

"Nope. It's clear, the sun is out, and it's well above freezing, so it's all good." Annie climbed out of bed. "I have the shower first," she said. "As much as you're gonna tell me it cuts the time in half if we shower together, we both fully know that that never really works."

Auggie smiled. That _was _exactly what he had been about to say. He rose and climbed out of bed, and manoeuvred himself across the room. He pulled on a pair of flannel pyjamas he located on the dresser that he'd set there the night before, and hadn't used, and went out to the main room. He had only a rudimentary idea about the layout in the kitchen, and he knew there would be no Braille labels on anything there, but he thought maybe he could find some bread or something, just to get things started.

He had come across more than bread. In the 'fridge there was orange juice and eggs, and beside the 'fridge, he found a breadbox. He smiled, his thoughts travelling back in time. When Annie came out of the shower, and passed behind him, smelling of sunshine and winter and a flower that he couldn't quite place, his heart sped up. She slid her hand around his chest as she passed, and he felt her warm, moist body press against him for a minute.

"You'll get more of this later," she said, and continued on her way to the bedroom.

Auggie closed his mouth. And then he shook his head a little and returned to gathering what he could find for their breakfast.

F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13

"Where are we now?" Auggie asked.

"Are we there yet?" Annie teased him. "We're almost there. Trust me. It's nice. You love art, and history."

Auggie looked puzzled. "You're taking me to a museum?"

"I'm taking you to a few. This one is here."

"Annie-?"

She cut him off. "Trust me, Auggie."

Auggie's step faltered a moment as he made his decision to just go with it. This was Annie. _This was Annie_. "Okay," he said.

"You'll love it."

He raised his eyebrows at her and said with more gusto, "O-kay!"

"Maria-Theresien-Platz!" She announced with a smile bursting from her voice.

Auggie opened his mouth but nothing came out. He shook his head, looking bewildered.

"Here's the brochure to the Kunsthistorisches Art History Museum!"

"This _may_ be construed as cruel, Annie," he said, feeling the paper hit the hand that held his cane. He let go of her arm and took it. _Braille._

But Annie didn't know Braille. Not yet, anyway. Unless she was a faster study than he throught, which, when he thought for one second, could've been a fact.

"Where did you get this?" he asked her, pulling his cane to his body so he could use both hands.

"That's how they gave it to me."

"They?"

"When I booked the tickets. They sent me this to the cottage before we got here."

"But..."

"Read it," she said impatiently.

Auggie's face was puzzled. _Accessibility... Main Entrance... 5 steps (Double swinging doors, 300cm wide) on Maria-Theresien-Platz, no ramp._ It continued to describe where the ramp was, and how wide the elevator inside was, among other things. Auggie was amazed. How had she come across this? As he went through the brochure, he was intrigued to find the image descriptions in Braille. Three tactile 3-D transformations of the Renaissance were the main feature, but there were other things, too. They had made castings to touch of objects from the Egyptian-Oriental Collection, the collection of antiquities, and objects from the Kunstkammer.

She had found this for him. He hadn't even been aware of a place like this when she had suggested Austria, but here he was, climbing the five steps to the double-swinging doors of the main entrance. Auggie could feel the hugeness of the building towering above him. The brochure said it was one of the largest museums/galleries in the world. Auggie stopped just inside and pulled Annie to a halt with him. He closed his eyes and turned his head, using his ears to give him account of the interior and it's size.

A Museum guide was available to them, and he took them first to the Renaissance masterpieces as he told them about the museum itself. He told Auggie the building was rectangular, and that there was a massive octagonal shaped dome that sat on top. He described the marble decoration, the stucco ornamentation, the gold leaf, and the paintings dressing the walls. He told them that the building had been built in 1872, and it had been opened in 1891 by the Emporor Franz-Joseph. He stopped them as they reached the first of the accessible paintings.

"Auggie," Annie said softly, and took him forward, placing the hand from her elbow to the three-dimensional relief work of art in front of him.

The guide explained the piece as Auggie touched it. "This is Jean Fouquet's_ Gonnella the Ferrera Court Jester_, painted between 1440 and 1445." As the guide described the old man he was _seeing_, Auggie could feel the arms folded, the wrinkles on the tilted face, even the stubble on his face. He had no recollection of seeing this painting before, but this moment was something he never had expected to experience ever again. He could appreciate the minute detail the painter had put into his work, and it amazed him. Sure, it wasn't seeing, it could never be seeing. But that wasn't an option. This was. This was the next best thing. He couldn't stop running his hands over the entire piece, and once, his own hand bumped Annie's and he smiled. She was experiencing the depth of it, too, using every sense she had. He reached over and held his hand out to her, keeping his left hand touching the detail of the collar on the jester. Her hand enclosed his and squeezed. He tried not to let emotion well up in him, and he took a little breath and smiled toward her. She took his hand and placed it back around her elbow, and they started off again to the next one.

"The Madonna and Child, by Albrecht Dürer," the guide said, "painted between 1496 and 1499."

He went on to explain again the painting that Auggie could feel under his hands. And again, Auggie knew Annie was also exploring it beside him. And again, a smile crossed his face. When they had learned about that painting, Auggie put his hand out to her once more, and she repeated the squeeze and then placed it back on her elbow as they made it to the last tactile painting recreation.

"Die Madonna im Grünen, by Raphael," said the guide. "The Madonna with the Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist. It was also called Madonna del prato, of the Meadow, ya? And Madonna del Belvedere, in 1506."

Auggie's mind raced. "I know this one," he said softly, his heart pacing fast.

"You've seen this one?" Annie asked him gently.

He lifted his head to her and took a breath, then nodded. "I did a lot of research on Raphael," he said, hoping she knew what he meant. "I was an aficionado." He tried to give her a smile but he knew it didn't convince her.

She said nothing but led him to it.

It was not what it had been to him. It was not a grand work to breathe in through colour and history, but as he closed his eyes and tried to remember the painting... he only had a vague memory of the three figures in the meadow, and a cloud of red and blue. It had been an op, learning these paintings. He'd studied Raphael intensely so that no question, no mistake could be raised. But, even sighted, he might not remember it. That was something he always reminded himself. _Most people forget faces and features and colours when they haven't seen them for a long time._ He just couldn't ever refresh his memory. Once they were lost, they were gone.

But maybe not. Auggie's fingers traced over the relief painting. The Madonna's gown, _red_, and the drape over it, _blue_, was the bright part of the painting, the central feature, and the figures in front of it stood away from it. Her hands connected to the Child. His to Her, and to John. All connected. He remembered the representations of the colours and the objects as the guide gave the detail and history. He remembered the intense rehearsal that excited him and drove him on a good cover, all tied in with seeing this painting right now. In a different way.

"Annie?"

"Auggie?"

"Thank you. So much."

"I know it isn't like it was before," she said, very close to him. "But you always like to learn new things and this is a way most people don't get to see. But I get to, because I'm with you."

She slid her hand over his shoulder and pulled him close into a hug. "It's cool, isn't it?" she asked into his ear.

He hugged her back tightly. "It is. It is, Annie. You are cool," he laughed. "This is the best." He remembered their guide, and he turned to him. "This is a great thing," he said, motioning to the painting vaguely. "All of this," he added.

"Shall we continue on to the artifacts?" the guide asked, kindly.

Auggie took Annie's elbow. "Lead on," he said, genially.

F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13F13

"Wow, Annie."

They were eating a mid-afternoon lunch at a small dinette.

"That was okay?" she asked him, her mouth full of pastry.

"I didn't know... what that was going to be like. I wasn't sure if it would make me..."

"Sad?" Annie asked.

He gave her a half-smile. "You just know," he said. "I don't even really have to talk."

"Yes, you do. We made each other a promise." She reached across the table and clutched his wrist as he held the fork over the plate. "Were you sad?"

"Maybe. A little bit. But... more happy than sad. More... amazed at you. And I really, really enjoyed it. It gives me so much more. I thought, you know, sculptures, little pieces of modern art... my Braille wall art. There are lots of wonderful works of art I can still enjoy. But... I never thought I could get a real read on genuine, old, historic pieces of art again. And, I never saw those other two, or the artefacts in the museum. And yet, I can picture them somehow, just a bit. Especially from the casting gallery. Just being able to hold those things."

"I know," Annie said. "I watched you. You looked pretty intense."

He smiled self-consciously. Of course she had watched him. She'd told him after watching him many, many years ago that he was oddly mesmerising. And he never really had minded that from her. He would have watched her, mesmerised, this whole life, if he had been able to. That's what love was.

"You know I have more up my sleeve, don't you?"

"I really don't know how much more perfect you can be," he said.

"Don't you mean my plan?"

"Not at all." He smiled at her.

"Now you're just sucking up," she teased him.

"I don't know if I can handle any more surprises," Auggie said. "But I sure am willing to try."

"Is there anything you don't try?" Annie said.

"I think you also were required to jump out of a plane on the Farm."

Annie laughed. "It's why we're so good together," she said. "We try it all."

Auggie took a bite, smiling around his chewing. "We may both be a tiny bit reckless."

"And look where it's gotten us," Annie replied. She paused for a moment, and then added, "Totally worth it, right?"

Auggie's fingers still tingled from the images of the art he saw below them, his ears still echoed with the sounds coming off the walls above him in the museum. Annie's warm hands. Her soft voice. A kindred soul to travel alongside. They just needed to keep talking.

"Totally worth it," Auggie replied.


	16. Chapter 16

** All I can say is, this is the best tour book I can ever imagine writing. And I can't imagine writing a tour book! **

** I don't own Annie or Auggie or Joan or Danielle or any of the awesome characters on... USA Network's Covert Affairs, and you don't know how much it hurts me to say any part of that sentence in the same sentence as all the other parts of the sentence. In fact, let's not refer to **_**those**_** ones again for the remainder of this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter Sixteen

"I _knew_ I'd end up having to buy a tux for this adventure," Auggie said, buttoning up his white shirt. They had just gotten back from shopping for evening wear for Auggie and new shoes for Annie.

"Well, you never know what we're going to do next. We'll just get a suit bag for it to travel." She hurried past him from the bathroom, smelling delicious.

"When did you go back to Jo Malone Grapefruit, Annie? You stopped wearing it..." He didn't say when. He knew when.

She crossed back over from the suitcase, stopping in front of him. "I always want you to know it's me. Even when there are hundreds of people around and my fuzzy aura gets a bit lost."

Auggie grinned, feeling on the bed for the tie he'd put there and standing back up to face her. "I'm glad," he said. He wasn't just glad, he was overjoyed. This was Annie, how he knew her, how he remembered her, how he met her. And that woman, who was lost, was coming back. She would be battle scarred as he was, but one piece at a time, she was building herself back up. He knew what was coming, because he knew her, and he smiled as her hands took the tie from his hands as he was tying it. She knotted it, and fixed his collar, keeping her hands there for a minute.

"Auggie, I have no idea why you would wait for me, trust me, or ever want me back," she said. "But I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove you right. We _can_ do this. When we go back, I want to talk to Joan. I want us to work there, together, like before. I want to have you to come to. I miss it. I miss it so much. Auggie, you made the really dark stuff a little less dark. I stopped getting that, and I couldn't find my way out."

Auggie took her hands. "Told you I was chosen to be your guide. There's a reason to everything, Walker."

"You smell good, too," said Annie, interrupting herself. "And I think you're right. You're the best guide anyone could ever have."

"Just tell me what you see, and I will give you the whole tour of everything, now where are my shoes, and do they look shiny?" Auggie made to move past her to search for the dress shoes he had worn last in Québec dancing. Annie put her hand to his chest and grabbed the shoes off the floor by the bed, handing them to him.

"They look really good," Annie said, admiring them.

"A good Captain never forgets how to shine his shoes," Auggie said, smugly, sitting to put them on.

"I can't even look at you, you're too handsome," Annie teased him.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't have to worry about that, then," Auggie laughed. "You're always too beautiful, and I'd hate not to be able to look at you. So I get the best of everything."

"C'mere, you," she said, as he stood back up. She reached up and touched his cheek. "You deserve the best of everything," she told him.

"Well," said Auggie. "I _am_ glad you went with the symphony and _not_ the opera. As much as I like culture-"

"I know, I didn't figure it would be your thing."

"Wellll," Auggie dragged out.

"You ready?"

"I think so. What do you think?" He did a slow turn and stopped just short of facing her. She reached out and righted him and then appraised him.

"_Day_-um, Soldier, you are _fine_!" she expressed with flair. She stepped forward and Auggie felt her wrap.

"Can't I see your ensemble for the evening?" he asked, puzzled.

"Oh, no, Auggie, you lay your hands on me now, there's no telling if we'd ever even make the last movement of the piece. You and I both know what that leads to. Besides, it gives me a little pleasure to keep you in suspense as to what you might be taking off me later."

Auggie groaned, both disappointed and intrigued. "I'll feel you up a bit in the theatre," he said as Annie passed him his wool coat.

"I just bet you will. And then you'll just be crazy about me by the time we get h-"

Auggie pushed her against the door and spun her gently, finding her lips and kissing her, wanting her. "I'm crazy about you now," he said.

Annie laughed, kissing him back. "See, we might not make it anyway," she said between kisses.

"Just put the satellite station on classical. We'll pretend we went and get to the good part."

She kissed him once more and then she broke off, turning and opening the door. She turned off the lights and Auggie took her elbow and they headed out into the night.

A cab took them to the _Musikverein_, where Annie, upon climbing out, took a deep breath. "Auggie, it's amazing. It's so big."

"Let's hope it sounds as big as it looks," he said, with a little smile that travelled all the way to his eyes.

They followed the crowd slowly into _The Golden Hall_, as it was known. Auggie stuck close to Annie, keeping the cane close to his body, listening to the hum of conversation, letting Annie navigate their way inside to the box she had procured.

There were four seats inside the opera box, and Annie put Auggie's hand on the third chair in. He took her wrap from her and then took off his own coat and Annie hung it behind them. He folded his cane and let Annie sit, and then he sat beside her, his fingers exploring the chair back behind her. She put his hand on the carved railing in front of him, and he checked it out as well, as Annie looked all around them, trying her best to describe their surroundings to him.

"You got us a box?" Auggie was incredulous. "I can't believe you got us a box? Please don't tell me we're sharing it with Austrian royalty or something. Do I have and stand and bow when they enter? Tell me ahead, here, Annie, I don't want to look stupid."

"You're fine, Auggie," Annie said, leaning toward him. "It's just the regular elite folk, not the royals. As far as I know. They probably scored the tickets the way I did—undergrad ticket scalper online. College chat rooms. You know."

Auggie grinned.

"I wanted the whole experience," Annie said, as if it was no big deal. "I thought you might like the acoustics better up here."

Auggie got a smirk on his cheek. "Can people see us?"

"We're not exactly hidden," Annie stated. "There are two chairs right there."

"Oh, right, them. The _royals_. D'you think they'll notice if I put my ha-?"

"They're here!" Annie said through a smile as she pushed Auggie's hands into her lap and then between them. Auggie stood, tucking his cane from his lap to the back of his seat.

"Hi," said Annie, in the voice that was all sales. Auggie grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Hi," said the friendly voice of the new woman.

Auggie wasn't sure what to do. Annie leaned past him, putting her arm out, stepping one step closer. "Hi, we're the Walkersons," she said. "Glen and Lilly. This is our first time here. I'm sorry, do you speak German?" She fluently switched languages. "We came on our Honeymoon five years ago, and we're celebrating by coming back."

If Auggie had not been trained to not betray his emotions and thought, he would surely never have been able to keep a straight face during this performance. He loved to watch her in action. And just because they were not actively tracking an op, it did not mean they didn't need to keep their skills intact. Or to at least have a little fun.

"Oh, we come here every year, since we met," said the other women, in a strong German accent. "But we do not have to come so far as you."

Auggie smiled. "Lilly kept asking me every year, _Glen, why can't we go back, you can surprise me_. I figured after five years, it might be a surprise. I guessed right, didn't I, Sugarplum?"

"Ah, you got me good," Annie said, all grin. "He's been saving every penny to come back. He treats me so good." She leaned up and kissed his cheek for good measure. He turned his face and she kissed him a second time, on the mouth.

"So where are you from?" the other woman asked as Annie sat down. Annie tapped Auggie's leg once, and Auggie sat, turning to them.

"We're from Canada. We also come for the skiing as well as the philharmonic."

"Oh, yes, you ski. We also are skiers. Have you been to the slopes since you have been here?"

"We have!" Annie said, sounding impressed. "Glen is a bit of a champion back at home, and the last time we were here, it was magical to watch him just take flight down those slopes. I could do that all day. We're hoping to make it again for a day before we have to go home. Glen wants to try the biggest jump. He's a bit of a daredevil."

"I do love a good lift," Auggie said, motioning a little with his hand.

"Oh, well, you must go. We would love to have a champion make use of the beautiful resources our ski resorts can offer."

"We're thinking next time we'll book the trip around ski resorts," Auggie said, thoughtfully

"Oh, honey, that's a _great_ idea." Annie tapped his chest with her flattened hand, proud as punch.

The audience ambiance changed as the sounds of instruments clattering and footsteps and chairs scraping quietly all came together to their left. Auggie turned back to Annie with a barely-contained grin on his face, noting their arms clutched together between them. The audience began to clap, welcoming the orchestra to their stage.

"Do you think they noticed I'm blind?" he whispered.

"If so, then she had no idea what to say to question it. I think we befuddled them."

"Perfect," he said. "Let's tell them at intermission that I also do the biathlon. Skiing _and_ shooting? Total forté."

Giggling, they settled down to wait for the music to begin.

Auggie didn't know a lot of classical music. He'd been made aware of many of the most famous parts of the most famous pieces, but he didn't know much more than that. Annie had a rudimentary study in classical style, mostly from piano lessons when she and Danielle were kids.

"I didn't even find out which one," Auggie whispered.

Annie tapped the programme once on his hand and then put her own hand back over his. "I think you know him. Ludwig Van Beethoven. They're going to play his Symphony number 7 in A major."

"Annie, that's big,"

"Then shut up and enjoy it." She leaned over and kissed his ear, keeping his hands clutched in hers.

The piece was everything Auggie imagined sailing into a fantastical sky would be like. It made his whole being expand with the resonance of the music in each atom. The story of triumph and joy winning over adversity and chaos and panic was a theme he had come to understand, and though it had changed musical style, it was the same feeling. As soon as the music filled the hall, he was transfixed. Maybe it was because he was in the moment, or because the sound was such absolute perfection, he wasn't sure, but he never had felt such incredible emotion and connection to a piece of music as it played.

Annie turned and saw him. She watched as he turned his head a bit, as if he were fine tuning antennae, looking for the exact balance in his ears. His eyes were closed, his hands always holding hers. His face was still so easy to read for her, he was so expressive in ways he forgot he even remembered. She loved that about him. He still remembered to give her dirty looks, and he still remembered to wink at her. He still remembered to give her that look that said he believed in her.

The music gave them both and overwhelming surge of emotion and joy, by the end, and they both noticed how close they held themselves together just by clutching each others' arms and hands. Auggie felt elation and exhaustion. He didn't want to speak, he just wanted to take Annie home and let the music carry them both in their passion.

"Auggie," Annie whispered to him, as he held her in the cab. He was having trouble keeping his hands off of her. The pretend spy-game was as much of a turn-on as the real spy-game, and Annie had done everything in her fast-thinking mind to make Auggie even more into her. This was what she was good at, what _they_ were good at.

"Annie, if Joan doesn't put you back into the field, I will personally get the job myself and do it."

"But it scares you when I'm in the field," she said.

"It never scared me when we were working as a team. Before you stopped taking my advice, stopped working out the details with me. When we work together, whether I'm in office on a wire or hunting down hackers at Datatech with you, we get it done."

"You're gonna pitch for me?" Her hand cupped his knee.

"I never stopped." He put his hand over hers.

"_Hier ist Ihre Haltestelle,"_ said the cabbie. Auggie paid the driver as Annie slid out, and then climbed out behind her.

He didn't even open the cane, he just went with Annie, and as soon as they were inside, she kicked off the heels that had been far too ridiculous for walking in even that short distance of snow. Auggie took off his shoes, and let her take him by the hand. Within a moment, she had located the remote, and music was playing. It wasn't the same kind of music, which would be too much to recreate and feel. The music she found was more buttery, and had the sounds of Spanish guitar below it.

Auggie smiled, turning, listening to her movements around the room. He knew she was lighting the candles and turning the bigger lights off. He waited, standing expectantly in the middle of the room. He took one step to the right, sweeping out with his hand, searching for the sofa, but his hand hit something else, something warm, and her hand clutched his and pressed it to that part of her hip where the fabric of the dress clung in just the right way.

Auggie stopped. Everything stopped. Time stopped. He kept his hand there for a second, daring against hope. He slid his fingers up her waist, and she spun away, letting his hand trace over the detail on the back that he would never, ever forget. He didn't need to see it to be transported back to that night when she had put it on just for him to look at her. His fingers crossed her back and he kissed her shoulder, turning her back to face him.

"You didn't tell me you brought this," he whispered.

"You never asked," she replied in like. "A girl's gotta have some secrets."

"You're lucky I didn't know you had this on," he said.

"Why do you think I wouldn't let you feel me up?"

"No wonder Christoph and Mila couldn't take their eyes off of you," Auggie said, nuzzling her neck.

"Now how would you know that?" Annie said with a grin, enjoying every second of his caresses and kisses.

"I can't believe you even have to ask me that anymore," he teased her. "A blind guy's gotta have some secrets." He kissed her shoulder. "And... _Walkerson_?"

"Don't you like it?" she asked softly. "I think it has a really nice ring to it."

He felt so completely in love with her as she laughed, letting him get all the details of her dress perfectly in his mind before he took it off of her. If the symphony could still be heard in an echo, it was audible to Annie and Auggie both as they made their way to the bed, one piece of clothing at a time.


	17. Chapter 17

My Muse was very ill, in a coma, near-death. I was worried this chapter wouldn't get to you. But I rerouted, did some Walkerson drawing instead, and had a good bit of muse-reviving #Auggiedotes from EmeraldEyedPhoenix. The result of all that upheaval is this chapter.

Oh, and you know I own no part of Covert Affairs. And I know you don't. Unless you are the producers or the USA Network. And if you are them, then please, we beg you, Renew Covert Affairs.

Chapter Seventeen

Auggie stretched and yawned. "What, no early morning plans?"

"I was thinking of a few things, but after last night, I don't think I need to top it. Let's just take it easy; we can just check out the markets or something. Anything you want to do?"

"I thought we'd try the moguls on the slopes. I am a pro, after all, Lilly."

Annie cuddled against him, looking at his face. "You most certainly _are_," she said with innuendo.

Auggie grinned. "I could just stay here all day and be quite happy about it," Auggie said, pulling her tight to him and kissing her raised face.

"I'll bet," she said.

"It _is_ nice," Auggie said.

"No argument from me on that," Annie said. "But this whole thing has been nice."

Auggie kept his hand on her upper arm, just feeling her soft skin under his fingertips. "We needed it. We needed this more than we realised."

"I know," Annie replied. "Our vacations aren't even vacations. We never have time to diffuse ourselves... did we? Do we?" Her questions were rhetorical, of course. "I can't remember the last time I didn't have some mission to finish, an op to chase."

"Which is why I had to get you out of there." Auggie's voice was low and quiet. "I think we both may have done grave injury to ourselves because of our need to keep doing it. And... when I saw there was a way to maybe keep it from being permanent... for you, I mean, I think we need to work as hard at that as any op. Why do we put more energy and life into that work than we do into our real lives? Our real relationships? Our real bodies? I mean, we study our gameplan, our NOC, histories of art and family and knowledge of languages, put more effort into that, then we do at making our actual lives of any importance. And I saw from the time with your family that you are important in lives that are real. We need to work on this." He slid his hand down her arm and took her hand and kissed her fingers. "Are you game?"

She had paused, giving him a moment of panic before she gave her assurance to him. "I'm game, Auggie. You know I'm game."

He grinned at her, and she couldn't resist, kissing him passionately. He pulled away for a moment. "I mean it, Annie. We can't forget this when we go home."

"I don't ever want to forget this."

"Good." He kissed her hand again. "I'll hold us both to it."

They climbed out of bed and lazily. Annie picked up the clothes they'd left from the night before, and warned Auggie before she could retrieve his shoe. He stopped, and immediately he felt his blue plaid PJs being bumped against his hand as she grabbed the shoe from his way. He smiled a bit, squinting his eyes shut for a minute at her and she brushed her hand down his arm as he moved forward to head to the bathroom. She'd also given him his grey muscle tank that she for some reason had become quite enamoured with. He didn't remember her noticing it before when they were together. It made him laugh, the things she became attached to. There was always some token thing for her in her relationships. Right now, he hoped it was one of the things he gave her. And in the future, he hoped it would be the ring he would give her. When the time was right.

He headed to the kitchen where Annie had found the right ingredients for omelets. Auggie whisked and Annie created, and they ended up with something that resembled a well-constructed breakfast. Auggie manoeuvred his fork and his fingers and toast to all work together so he wouldn't make a mess, and would find every last delicious bite. There was something to be said about a lazy, home-cooked breakfast for two.

When they were finished, Annie stood and took their plates to the sink. Auggie helped clear, and then he wrapped his arms around her waist as she filled the sink.

"Go get ready," he whispered, nuzzling her neck. "I'll wash this time, and then you can come put them away while I get showered."

"Are you kidding me?" Annie teased. "No wonder I have to beat off the women. Is this part of the holiday experience?"

"Annie. I live alone. I do _all_ my own dishes."

"You haven't been living alone," she said. "And I noticed." She turned off the tap.

Auggie smiled. "Yeah, we need to talk about that, too."

"Are you kicking me out, Auggie Anderson?"

Auggie touched her ear, guiding himself in, kissing her. "Not on your life."

"Wash up. I'll be back shortly." She took his hand up and a clean dishcloth was pushed into it.

"Take your time. Gonna meander today." He listened to her cross the floor to the bathroom, and reached out for the counter, smiling. He dipped his fingers in the water, feeling the hot water and the fluffy, warm, fuzzy feeling of the soap bubbles on his wrist. He felt to the left of the double sink and discovered a large tea towel, which he spread out on the counter. If he was the type to sing out loud, he may have at that very point.

Instead, he quietly washed the dishes and he chuckled a bit when he heard Annie, whose footsteps had stopped, finally shut the bathroom door. She'd been watching him. He shook his head, the grin playing on his lips. He'd have to see how much she loved him if he let her watch him vacuum.

He had checked the counters and surfaces for wine glasses and was just finishing placing the last plate carefully to dry when Annie came out of the bathroom, calling to him to let him know she was done. He turned, after letting the water out of the sink and wringing out the dish cloth.

"Annie?" he called.

"Yeah?" she replied from the bedroom. He made his way toward her voice, keeping his hand out in front of him. He did _not_ have this place dialed, as much as he'd like Annie to think he did. She came out of the doorway as he reached it and took his hand, placing a towel into it. "New one," she said. "Everything's still where it was yesterday." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then passed him to go dry off the dishes and put them back.

"Thanks, Annie," he said, grateful that she did this, and headed toward the shower.

The shampoo was on the shelf on the right, by the shower head. There was an elastic band around it. He took a breath and let it out through a smile as the hot water hit his shoulders. The woman never ceased to both bring him out of his shell and yet keep him firmly protected, and he was constantly amazed.

He thought back to trying to live with Tash only months ago. She had moved everything, even when he made it clear that he needed it to stay where it was. She used up things and never explained where they went. It was chaos in the little time she'd actually stayed with him. And Parker tried, she really had. He gave her an above-passing grade on it. She found it awkward to ask him questions, so some things got overlooked.

Annie had no such qualms. If she had a question, she asked him. Which is why the shampoo was on the shelf in the right, by the shower head, with an elastic band around it.

As he came back to the bedroom, he heard Annie make a growling sound, and he felt her hands creep over his chest and around his neck.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she purred back.

"I'll just remind you that I offered the option of just staying on that bed not that long ago," he said into her cheek.

"I know," she replied, "but you're wearing a towel. What's a girl supposed to do?"

"Ya got me, there," he said. "But we're going out as soon as I'm ready." Auggie found his case and pulled out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved grey shirt, and his grey sweater. He felt in the top pocket and took out underwear and socks. He turned to Annie. "Do you see my watch anywhere? I think I put it on the dresser by the door."

"It's here," she said, picking it up and taking his hand and placing it in his palm. He winked at her and smiled, turning back to the bed to get dressed.

They just went out to the street and turned left and walked. They were both quiet for a while, Auggie concentrated on Annie's movements and the sounds and smells coming to him from all around them, taking in all information available to him. It was odd how sometimes Annie just gave him his own space to listen, instead of feeding him constant information. But then, before he needed to ask, she would give him the descriptions he required or was curious about. He wanted to ask her about that, but it seemed almost like he imagined it, and he wasn't sure she could even explain it, or would even know what he was talking about. Maybe she just got tired of explaining all the time, he thought. Maybe she was just happy to not have to always tell him everything.

"It's all so beautiful, here, Auggie. Do you remember it? Were you here before you lost your sight?" She sounded so happy and carefree. "I mean, it looks like Europe, the buildings are all narrow and uniform and flow around the streets with the traffic splitting them, but, it's got a nice clean atmosphere. Shall we take some of those narrow back streets? Find out where they lead us?"

Auggie grinned. "Lead us through," he said. "I'm game."

They found little shops to pop into and browse. Annie discovered a place that made them a quick pastry for energy, and they sat and had coffee and watched the people go past the window. When they were done, they continued on through streets and side streets.

"Are we going to be able to find our way back?" Auggie asked Annie. "Not that I mind getting lost with you, but I haven't been paying attention at all. I am letting it all be you."

Annie smiled and put her hand over the one on her elbow. "I got this one. You've done enough mapping for a while."

Auggie felt his chest well up in another wave of love. "Okay," he said. "And if we get a bit off-track... we have Google Maps."

"How did we ever travel before?" Annie said.

"Well," Auggie said, with a quirk to his grin. "I used to use my eyes."

There was a beat of a second, and then Annie patted his hand and groaned, starting off again.

"Times change," Auggie said lightly, stepping behind her. "I used to also travel alone, and I can say for a fact that I find this _so_ much better. Way more perks."

By mid-afternoon, Annie had bought a new hat, and they both found themselves sitting in a warm pub, looking at the snow falling outside the dark pub window.

"How much?"

"It's coming down gently, but it is making things white. It looks pretty, but do you want to head back?"

"Why? You _are_ wearing boots, right, Annie?"

"Yes, I'm wearing boots. It's still winter, Auggie, I'm not totally impractical. I'm just thinking about... well, you. In snow. I know you don't like it."

"I never said I didn't like it. I don't like when it's all piled and slushy and makes my surroundings all disappear. But we're not in a blizzard, and everything is clear, there won't be banks and ridges. It's fine. It kind of muffles the city a bit. Makes it a bit more like our dream. And... you're looking out for me, so I'm okay, Annie. Really. Unless you're tired."

"No," Annie said with conviction. "I am loving this. Just being here, taking our time, having a beer."

"Or two."

"Or two."

"You like your new hat?" He held out his hands. "Let me see it."

He heard the bag rustle as she took the hat out and handed it to him. It was soft wool; it was rounded at the crown, and had a large button or something on one side.

"It's a cloche," Annie said to him.

"Oh, well, then, that explains it. I totally can picture you in it now," Auggie said with a big smile, teasing her, as he ran his fingers over it.

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Picture it?"

Auggie shook his head. "No."

"Oh."

"No point. I can't. I just gather the information. I still like to know. I still like you to describe things. Sometimes I try to picture things. Sometimes pictures do come to me. But do I try to picture you in your new hat? No." He reached forward and was rewarded with his hand being enveloped in hers. "I am glad you bought it, though."

"I looks _really_ nice on me, just so you know."

The smile that Auggie felt cross his whole face was too fast for him to slow down. He shook his head, letting out a laugh. "I don't doubt it for a minute," he said to her.

They continued their way though the afternoon like this, stopping in for a pint when they felt the need to warm and relax for a bit. They had just left a sweets shop in the late afternoon and Annie was cutting through the diagonal in a green square in the city ("I think they call them _white parks_ in the winter," Auggie joked as she told him) when, after a particularly bad joke on Auggie's part, Annie pulled him to the side, reached down, and laid a handful of snow across his shoulders, followed by a rather loose snowball which hit the front of his coat.

"Oh!" Auggie exclaimed, a look of consternation crossing his features. "So _that's_ how you wanna play it. He flashed his hand out and grabbed part of her coat before she could counteract and jump away, and simultaneously grabbed his own handful of snow. She screeched as he brought it near the top of her knit-capped head, and he felt her duck as he let it go.

"Auggieeeee!" she whooped, shaking herself free of the snow, pushing him down at the same time, grabbing more artillery. He was laughing so hard he could barely defend himself, and Annie finally let up, laughing breathlessly herself. She let him up and he gave her a hand, pulling her to her feet. She brushed herself off and got any snow that Auggie had missed from his coat and jeans.

"You look cute covered in snow," she said as she patted his shoulders.

"I always look cute," Auggie said. "I'm like a YouTube kitten."

Annie's burst of laughter made his grin grow again. He reached out his hand. "Come on, let's go find the perfect warm place to eat, drink, and be merry."

"For a minute I thought you said _eat, drink, and be married_."

"Yeah, I heard it, too," Auggie said almost at the same time and Annie giggled and started off again.

The pub they ended up in was larger than the earlier ones, but Annie guided Auggie to a quiet table and found them a menu and a pitcher of beer along the way. They decided on meat pie and soon enough, on another pitcher of beer.

They were having fun. Auggie almost had Annie convinced she should sing at the piano that he pretended to know was in the bar. She had him almost convinced to play a game of pool. She headed to the bar for a third pitcher, after debating with Auggie about shots.

"We're definitely getting a cab home," Annie said as she returned. "I'll never get us both there on our own feet."

"Good plan. Annie? Where's the men's room?"

"Oh, uh..." She was looking around. "On the far left, past the bar. Do you want me to...? I should probably... there's lots of tables and chairs..."

Auggie stood. "Can you? I don't want-" Her hand bumped his immediately and he took her elbow, grateful that he could stop talking.

"I'll just be here," Annie said, brightly, as his cane found the doorway.

"No, I'll be okay, you can go back to the table," Auggie said in a low voice, that feeling in his stomach like cold steel.

"Auggie, there are a lot of tables and chairs. Really. I don't mind. I need to use the ladies', so I'll just be here. Wait for me, okay? It's _always_ way slower in the ladies'." She made it sound like the whole experience of women's bathrooms was exhausting, and took the focus totally off the fact that she was going to lead him back to the table.

And the feeling that threatened to constrict his chest next grew less strong. He turned, and found his way into the men's room, which, thankfully, were all pretty universal. When he came back out, he stood just along the wall, waiting for her. The German voices around him left him feeling slightly lost at sea.

"Do you normally pick up the ladies outside the men's room?" came her sweet voice to his right. He smiled and she let his hand find her elbow.

"Not usually," he said, "But someone told me it would be worth my time." He was a little unsteady, but he was grateful to Annie's easy help in getting back to his seat without humiliating himself. She put his hand on his chair and he sat, folding his cane back up, when someone approached on his left to the table. He looked up toward them, but their voice, when they spoke, faced away from him, faced only to Annie.

"_Entschuldigen Sie, darf ich Sie auf einen Drink einladen_?"

Annie spoke politely but coldly. "No, thank you. Please, I'm with someone."

The man switched to English. "Ah, you are English, ya, I would love to invite you to our table."

"What don't you get?" Auggie said, his anger rising, his words slurring a little from the alcohol. "She's with _me_."

"Ah, yes, but Miss, surely you would not go home wis ze cripple, when you can go home with a man. Such a beautiful woman should have someone who can appreciate such beauty. _Nicht solch einen Krüppel_."

Auggie was on his feet and had the man in his hands in an instant. He only barely heard Annie shout his name. He spun the man, grabbing at his clothes.

"You sink you are going to fight me?" the faceless man laughed. "_Blindes Arschloch__._"

"Auggie!" Annie screamed at him, but his rage was too strong for him to let go. He turned the surprised man, and gave him a snap to the side of his face. The man retaliated and got a good punch in on Auggie, before Auggie had him in his clutches again. Auggie knew he had the upper hand as long as he could keep contact with him. He twisted the man, and got him arm locked around the man's neck, holding him fast. The man gasped for air, but Auggie had none to give him.

"_Auggie!_" she screamed again, her hand on his arm. Her voice cut through the loud buzzing, her touch felt like a breeze in the heat wave.

He let go a little, and the man slid out of his grasp to the floor. He leaned down, his anger spitting out of his words.

"Don't underestimate your opponent," he hissed. "And don't fuck with a SERE-trained ex-Special Forces Captain, or you _will_ feel the consequences."

He heard the man scramble to his feet, his buddies huddling around him as they moved away, loudly protesting. He stopped, the horror of what he had done coming over him. He stepped back, his hand out, dully reaching for the table, a chair, anything to transport him back to before. He heard Annie, somewhere in front of him, talking in German to whom, the proprietor of the bar? Someone was talking to her very angrily and she was diffusing them.

_"Bitte __Keine Polizei__. Mein Mann war fr__üher beim Militär.__ Er reagiert nur so, wenn man ihn provoziert_. Please, _Bitte __Keine Polizei_. We're just on Holiday. We don't want trouble."

"You should get out," said the proprietor. "I don't need ze mess in my pub, take your issues out, and don't come back, ya?"

Annie was gathering their things. She put her coat on and pushed Auggie to put his on. She pressed his cane into his hand and left a big tip on the table. He said nothing as she led him into the cool, snowy air, he numbly just followed her. She got them a taxi and let him climb in ahead of her. He was still wired, still so angry, and still too ready to flare up, he couldn't talk. Annie kept her hands on him, around him, grounding him, connecting him to her instead of to whatever place his mind kept going.

Back inside the cottage, Annie made coffee and directed him to just sit. She took his hand and placed the coffee cup into it, sitting in front of him, saying nothing but watching.

"I'm sorry, Annie," Auggie said, in a soft voice.

"Auggie." Her voice was filled with questions, with concern, with need.

"He called me a cripple."

"Auggie, he was an ass-hole."

"Annie." He turned to her. "I hate needing to keep asking people for help. Here I had just been delivered to the men's room by you like I was a child, and he's calling me on it. I hate that you heard him. I hate that, deep inside, when you... guide me places or... help me to do anything I need your eyes, you'll hear that word. I hate it so much because I never thought this was going to be my fate. I didn't need any of this help." His voice dropped. "He said you could go home with a man instead of me."

"Oh, Auggie," Annie said. "_You_ are the man I come home with. I know your capabilities, and you happen to be far more capable at _everything_ than any man I know. And even more so, because you come up with a whole new way of doing it. You're twice as impressive. God, Auggie, you never have to think I would think that way! How, after five years, do you even think that? Auggie? How? I've never doubted you, not as a man, not ever! You know this, don't you? Auggie?"

She leaned in, taking his face in her hands, gently resting her forehead against his. He raised his hands, stroking her hair on her shoulders, letting her words sink in so he would not forget how she sounded when she said them. His eyes burned with unshed tears from his anger, from her love.

"I love you, Auggie. _You_. I love you. Your strengths _and_ your weaknesses. I love you because of all of this. I love you despite all of this. However you want to think of it. It's you, Auggie. I love you. I don't mind those things that we do together for you. I want to make things better for you, easier for you, like anyone who loves someone would want to. Not because you can't see, but because I love you. I'm one-hundred per cent in on you."

His hands touched her cheeks, her hair, her neck, as they sat there, connected, their foreheads making contact as their eyes would have.

"I never thought I could have this," he whispered. "Not after. I thought it would always be something that couldn't be one-hundred per cent anymore."

"Auggie. Don't ever doubt me on this one. And don't doubt yourself. Ever. You've won me over so many times now. Even when I tried to stay away I couldn't. All because I need you. We make a good team, you and me."

Auggie heard her voice break in her last words. He heard the sincerity, he heard the love, he heard the honesty. He believed her. He doubted himself, but he believed and trusted her. His hands went to the back of her head and he pushed forward, pulling her in to kiss her deeply. It was not passion and energy that brought them together then, it was love, deep and true. She wrapped her arms around him, diffusing the last of the anger that he had inside, kissing him with all the emotion she had for him.

"Come on," she whispered. "We may have hangovers whether we sleep or not, but it's probably better if we do." She took his hands and he stood, giving her a little smile to let her know he was okay.

They lay together, Annie holding tightly to his side, her ear pressed on his heart. He smiled, kissing her hair, stroking her back over and over with his fingers, unable to stop looking at her.

Then he remembered what she'd said in the pub. His German was not great, but he _had _heard her say something he needed to clarify.

"Did you call me your _husband_ to that pub owner?"

"I may have," Annie mumbled, half-asleep from alcohol.

Auggie felt the grin that she always induced bloom on his face as he himself dozed off to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Auggie needs to diffuse. Annie needs to give back what he gives her. They need to use their words, especially after **_**the pub incident #2**_**. **

**I don't own Covert Affairs. I wish ABC or Netflix did. Or NBC or CBS or CBC or BBC. Someone who would give us season 6. But alas, it is owned by USA Network.**

Chapter Eighteen

"Oh, woah," Annie said with a bit of a chuckle.

Auggie slowly felt himself coming awake. "Huh?" he asked, feeling a pounding in his head. He opened his eyes, squinted, made a groaning sound, and closed them again. "It's swollen, isn't it?"

"You look like you were in a bar fight, there, Sailor," she said, cupping his cheek. "Did you get that black eye fighting for a lady's honour?"

Auggie grinned, though it hurt his swollen eye to do it. He reached his hand up and traced around his left eye. _Yup. Swollen all right._ He hoped it went down a little before they flew out tonight. He had a couple of weeks arranged at their destination. He wanted to have time to stay in and not sightsee. He wanted time to just decompress from everything, including travelling. He wanted to get to know his surroundings a bit before he had to move on. He wanted time to get to know Annie. Learn about her life before he met her. Maybe tell her some about his own. He knew her, deeper and more intimately than anyone he'd ever known, but he didn't know so many things about her life.

"He just got in a lucky punch," he said.

"Well, I doubt he'll underestimate anyone again any time soon. And you should keep out of trouble. I don't want to have to bail you out of foreign prisons, ya brawler. Or at least next time, let _me_ kick the idiot's ass a bit."

"Ohh," Auggie rubbed his head. "I _am_ sorry, Annie. I don't know what happened. I mean, I _know_ what happened, but... just when he pretended like I wasn't there. And he called me that name. I was too intoxicated to make a rational decision. I was pissed. I'm sorry."

Annie slid out of bed. "I'm getting you some ice," she said, "be right back."

Moments later, he heard her whisper back into the room and onto the bed. She put her hand lightly on his eye to let him know it was coming, and moments later, the cold ice pack was gently pressed up against his swollen eye.

"Blind guy with a black eye isn't as funny as it sounds," Auggie said.

"You've said that to me before some time. Which leads me to believe you get into more fights than I know about."

"Well, stupidly, I just _had_ a black eye. Right? People are going to think you beat me up all the time."

"Here. Hand out. Something for your headache." He felt two pills drop into the palm of his left hand. "Here," she said. "Right hand, water." She passed him a glass. He took the pills and drank the water. Annie took the glass back and he put his head down in his hands, pressing the ice pack over his eye.

"How are you?" he said, not moving.

"I've had three glasses of water and two cups of coffee already. I'm starting to feel reasonable."

"How much time do we have?" Auggie said, feeling for his watch on his wrist but it was not there. He wondered where he'd taken it off this time.

"It's nine. We don't have to be at the airport until two. So we're good. Coffee?"

"Please."

Ten minutes later she returned, taking the ice pack from him to look at his eye again, handing him his coffee.

"It's gonna be black," she diagnosed. "Hate to tell ya."

He sipped his coffee and gave a sheepish grin, sighing. "I am sorry."

"Stop saying it, you're fine. I'm glad you clocked him. Even if I had to sweet talk the pub owner. I get it, Auggie, I do."

Auggie held the cup in both hands, his thoughts coming to the surface. "It's been a long time since I could see, Annie. But I could see my whole life until then. I mean, I never thought of anything like this slowing me down so young. And it frustrates me. It's hard, Annie." He turned his face away for a moment. "I talked to a shrink once." He scowled a bit. "Joan made me, after the Allen's thing." He turned back. "And it took me some big inner conflict to tell her that every day is hard. Every day I make myself get up and do it again, even if I don't want to do what it takes to get through a day. Some days, I don't think too hard, there are better things to look forward to. But some days, Annie, it's too hard to be blind. And... when he called me on it-"

"Auggie?" She slid in front of him, on the bed, careful to not bump his half-empty cup. "I meant everything I said. About me, I mean. And, I know it's hard for you sometimes. You amaze me, how you just keep going, no matter what. I know you get frustrated and angry sometimes, I can see it in how you tense your shoulders, how you drop your head into your hands, I hear it in your voice. I know. And, sometimes I don't know what to do to make it okay for you. But I do my best to keep your spirits up, the same as you do for me for different reasons. We're not so different, Auggie. I know it burns you because you think about how you _used_ to be able to do things, and how you _used_ to be able to see. I don't have to compare you to that man, because I never met him. And I know you can't leave him behind because he's you, he was you for most of your life. I'm just here to make sure that you have someone to talk to when you're feeling like that. So you don't end up punching yet another ass-hole and end up back talking to a shrink instead of me."

"I miss him. I miss being him."

Annie took the cup from him and snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I never knew him," she said, "but I doubt he could compare to the man you've become. I'm in awe of you, Augs. Every day. You do everything that needs to be done. You save people all the time. You fight for the right things. You understand things most people never will."

Auggie tried to give her a smile. "It feels like I am going to suffer great wounds to tell you these things, and then, when I say them, it's... okay."

"It _is_ okay. That's what people do in relationships. Auggie? I'm going to tell you something. The whole time I was in relationships with other guys, I kept coming to talk to you. Why? Well, you're easy to talk to. You give great advice. You didn't make me feel stupid for the questions I asked. But mostly, Auggie, because you have deep empathy for people. Empathy that I don't know if you would have had before.

"My sister, as much as I love her, judges me first and _then_ listens. Always did. Big sister kind of thing, I think. Always gave advice before hearing what I was saying. My mother is the same. She kind of always felt I didn't think before I went on some wild choice I'd made. She got tired of me _not_ doing what she thought I should be, she just kind of stopped being interested in me. Danielle tells her all the time she's being stupid. Well, she _did_. I don't know what she's told her now. My mother thinks I'm dead. And, well, it doesn't feel that much different than how she thought of me when I was alive.

"My Dad was strict. But fair. He at least was fair. My choices were my own, and I had to deal with my own consequences. But he never made me feel like I was wrong about it."

"Is your father...?"

"He died. He died before I went away, before I came to the farm. He died when I was at university. Heart attack. He stressed himself out. He used to be able to relax when Dani and I were young. He'd take us places and show us cool things. Fun things, things my mother wouldn't have even given permission, I'm sure. He was the strict one, but he also knew when to play. My mother never did. And yet, it's funny, she plays with those girls. Danielle was always sending them over there when she and Michael needed a break." Auggie heard Annie sigh. "Danielle always did the right things."

"By _right_, you mean what your mother wanted."

"Yeah, but it all just sort of fell in to place for Dani that way. Not that that was what I wanted for me at the time, I didn't. But Dani got approval and I never did. I told her, when I went abroad, that I didn't really care any more what she thought. And I didn't, really. I cared more about what Danielle thought, because she had _always_ been there for me. Even when she was mad at me, she still talked to me, still loved me."

"Do you think Danielle told her? About you being alive, I mean?"

"I talked to her when we were in Ireland. She said she hadn't talked to her in a couple of weeks. Danielle has a hard time keeping secrets, but I think this one is too big for even her to bring up."

"Do you want her to know?"

"I don't know. It seems easier to let it all go. But I don't think it's the right thing."

Auggie shook his head, moving the ice pack a little. "I'll tell you, I thought the same thing once. About my life. Also a moment in Joan's therapy session, by the way." Auggie hated to admit this to Annie. He didn't want her to think of him as weak. And yet, this moment was his weakest moment and the moment that moved him forward at the same time.

"I was ready to be done. To let go. I was in so much pain and I was so scared. I didn't want to try any more. I thought I should have died with my men. They _all_ died, Annie. I was the only one that didn't. And I thought that maybe that was a mistake, that I _should_ have died, too. I thought it for a long time. Even after I was back at work and everything seemed to be okay. Until I took revenge on their deaths, which, thanks to you, didn't make me a cold-blooded killer that day. But... after I was blinded, all I wanted to do was help my men. I wanted to get back to work, and I didn't know how to do anything anymore. I couldn't do the simplest things. From a man who could pick locks into high-security buildings, to not being able to walk across a street. And one day, I got messed up, on a street corner. I didn't know where I was, I was all turned around. Totally lost. The only thing that crossed my mind was that the bomb that killed them should have killed me, too, and that I would finish the job it didn't."

"Auggie," Annie whispered low.

"I threw my cane away and walked into the traffic."

He could hear her breath, waiting for him to continue.

"Obviously, as I'm sitting here, I wasn't killed."

Still silence, but her hand placed on his knee.

"Kinda took it as I sign that was supposed to still be here. I wasn't sure why. But I get up every day to keep going, to keep trying, and maybe I'll figure it out one of these days." He put his own hand on hers. "And you're still here, too."

"Maybe we're supposed to figure it out together," she said softly.

A smile bloomed on Auggie's face. "I think you could be right," he replied as softly. "Surely between the two of us, we'll figure it out. I'm just telling you, there's a lot to living with me that you don't know yet. A lot of things to remember, to deal with."

"Auggie, I'm okay with that. You know that. I am in. I'm willing to learn whatever it is. You want me to leave all doors totally open, and all cupboards totally closed, I'm doing it. You need the jam left on the second shelf in the front, it's done. I know you're totally confident in your own spaces. And I know that you are _not_ when you don't know the space. You pretend you are, but I know you better than that. And I know that you hate asking for help. You told me that a long time ago. I get it. And you don't have to think about ever being ashamed of it, Auggie. Okay? This is _not_ something you need to be ashamed of. This is something you didn't ask for, but something you wear with grace."

"Not too much grace. I run into things like, fourteen times a day." He wasn't sure if he was joking or not. It sounded like a joke, but it didn't feel like one. Unless maybe it was a joke on him.

Annie took the ice pack from him, and took both of his hands in hers. "I'm willing to deal with all of you, Auggie. And _this_? This talking part... is the best part, because I can tell you are willing to let me deal with all of you. That means so much to me, Auggie. We need to keep talking about everything that scares us, everything that makes us frustrated, everything that we can't puzzle out on our own. And especially everything that makes us happy. And guess what?"

He heard the smile return to her voice. He raised his face to her, questioning.

"_You_ make me happy. I'm telling you now. And I'll tell you tomorrow. And I'll tell you the next day. And the next day. And the next day."

He was smiling as she snuck in for a kiss. She giggled and then gently kissed his bruised eye, brushing his hair from his forehead.

"So, Auggie. Now that you're stuck with me, where are you taking me next?"

"I just want to stop the world for a while. Before we have to go back to ours. Do you mind a longer stay somewhere?"

Annie grinned at him. "Mind? You mistake me for someone else."

"I wouldn't ever mistake you for anyone else," Auggie said, putting his hand up on her hair, over her ear, and leaned in for another kiss, longer and filled with all the love he had for her.

He'd done it. He'd told her a deep secret that sat inside him in a very dark place, and the world hadn't ended. She hadn't called him weak, or sad, or pathetic, or hedged on any of the things she had told him. Instead, she, held him, and told him she loved him, and that they were going to keep working on everything together.

"What would you say to a few calm weeks in Sardinia?"

"Sardinia?" Annie said with a big grin. "Why Sardinia?"

"Why _not_ Sardinia? Do you have something against Sardinia?"

"I've never been there."

"Good, neither have I. We'll both be in new terrain."

"Together."

"Together." He stroked her hair. "And maybe we can figure out what to do about your mother while we're there. We'll figure it out."

"We're just gonna keep figuring it all out," she whispered. "Together. We're a team. Right? Joan knew what she was doing way back then."

"She knew what she was doing again this time, when she put us back in as a team. She's been working at this almost as hard as we did. Maybe even harder. Because she knows it's possible. It's possible for us, too."

"Damn straight." Annie said, and Auggie didn't hear a smile in her voice. She was serious, and this made him laugh hard enough for the swelling in his eye to hurt a little bit. "Ohh," she said, putting the ice back to his head.

"Next time," Auggie said, "Give a blind guy some warning of incoming fists."

"Next time, you just knock him out on the first punch," she giggled. "I'm kidding, you know. I really don't want to have to bail you out. Again."

Auggie just grinned.

"Your watch is at five on the table beside you," Annie said, tapping his knee and getting off the bed to refill his coffee.


	19. Chapter 19

Oh, Covert Affairs, how I miss waiting for you to come back on! Even though I still am in denial and am waiting for you to come back on anyway! I can barely stand not knowing what Auggie and Annie are doing. Oh, wait. They're doing _this._

(P.S. I own not the characters nor the creation of Covert Affairs. But I care more about their lives than those people do.)

Chapter Nineteen

"Oh, Auggie," Annie gasped as they came into view of Bosa by chartered boat. Auggie had chosen this route to get to their destination from the aeroport because he'd heard that the town looked like a rainbow, its pastel houses blocked up in the distance toward the top of the hill, where sat a mediaeval castle. He'd heard the colours extended down to the riverfront, where the fishing boats were moored. He wanted to give something so beautiful and memorable to Annie, and he knew that she would give it back to him so he could see it, too.

"Good?" Auggie said, frowning in jest. "Bad?"

"Auggie, I want to give you my left eye so you can see this with me," Annie's voice said softly, smiling.

Auggie's face relaxed into a warm, happy grin. "Show me," he said, reaching out for her hand, which she took.

She started with the dark winter green hill, taking him to the top where the castle stood.

"I think it's square, with maybe two or three turrets? It looks like it housed quite a little town within it. Pretty big up there. And, halfway up the hill, the houses start, like pastel building blocks, piled into a neat little puzzle. Like the whole hill is surrounded with birthday presents."

Auggie laughed. He could picture that. "Go on," he prompted. By this time, the few other people who had also come to see the island's view before they came in close were listening to Annie give Auggie her left eye.

"There are hills around that one that are even bigger. I think there's some sort of structure on one, but I can't quite tell what it is. We may have to explore."

"Lots of time," Auggie assured her, starting to feel excited. No wire, no bug, no one on their tail, and yet, there were thrills to be had. Surely walking in footpaths and taking sailboats and riding horses would constitute adventure, probably even danger, especially for a blind man. He wondered what the structure was that Annie couldn't make out. He knew they'd have an answer before they left.

"It might just be weird rock formation. But it looks suspicious. Shall I go on?"

"Please do," Auggie said, chuckling, raising his eyebrows at her.

"I think the village goes right down to the water. The river cuts in below it. I can see the boats now. They're mostly fishing boats but there are some luxury boats in there, too. There are piers on both sides and... I can't tell yet how far across or how long it is. But the colours, Auggie! It's like someone left those school chalks in a pile around a hill! "

Auggie closed his eyes. He could imagine that hill with its skirt of pastel blocks, its crown of stone, standing on the edge of the river.

"What made you pick this place?" she sighed, taking it in.

"Just a hunch," he said. He'd read as much as he could about it. It had history and beauty, and it was well-hyped for being perfect for the visually-oriented. He didn't know why, but that intrigued him instead of deterring him. There were long beaches to walk on, and the temperature was not warm enough to bring tourists but definitely comfortable after the colder weather they had been through. The more Annie read from the brochure and the follow ups on closer views of the town and the hill, the more Auggie's inner excitement threatened to make him laugh out loud. The prospect of staying here for a few weeks made him both relaxed and enthusiastic. He'd have the time to get to know his surroundings, to learn voices and hear stories. He'd have time to find familiarity within an adventure, and it made him very, very happy. Annie's arm crept under and around his right arm, and he took his right hand off the top of his cane and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her tight.

He felt Annie take a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "That air is so good, isn't it? It's everything fresh." She took another breath.

She had peace. Auggie felt it in her stance, heard it in her voice. Could she take that peace and go back to working at Langley? Could she keep that peace strong so that the mud she might be covered in wouldn't take her down again? She was able to keep things in perspective when she had her sister to go to, when she had Auggie to go to. When she opened up, asked questions, and let them give her advice, she kept herself above sea level. Auggie needed to make sure that she knew he was there for her, no matter what. He'd tried to tell her before, and he'd proved it to her enough that she had to know it was true. But she was on shaky ground, and he wasn't sure that she was ready. He hoped that this place would give her the strength.

"It's perfect," he answered her. "You are going to heal your heart with this air."

"Are you talking physically or are you being metaphorical?" she teased him.

"All of it," he replied. "Can you see the river yet? The docks?" What about the beaches?"

Annie turned back to the view. "It's calm, and there are fisherman coming back in now. I can't see beaches from here."

"We'll get to see it all in due time. How close are we?"

"We'll be docking very shortly. We should get our luggage and find a cab."

Auggie slid his hand back over to her elbow as she turned, and they headed back to the cabin to collect their luggage.

On shore, they found a taxi to take them to the cottage just on the edge of the town. It had been a safehouse at one point, and Auggie had worked some magic with one of his many contacts, and had it secured for them for three weeks. He hoped it was still ready for inhabitation, but he had it on good authority that it was comfortable and still furnished.

They climbed out of the car and the cabbie helped them collect their luggage and place it at the door. Annie paid him and turned around, touching Auggie's arm.

"What colour is it?" he asked.

"It's green, Auggie," she said through a smile. A huge smile, he could hear it loud and clear. "It's the only green one along here. The others are kind of salmon-coloured and orange and yellow. There's a blue one way down there. There's a white one, too. Oh, that one over there has a different colour for its top half."

"Sounds fun," he said, grinning.

"We are going to have the _best _time here," she said, looking straight at him.

He just gave her a smirk and shook his head. "You ever doubted me?"

"Not really, no," she said. "Not really ever." She gave his hand a bump and he followed her to the door, pulling one of the suitcases along the way. "Two steps," she said. "Kind of small, flat, long, stone steps. Got it?"

He felt with his foot and had no problem navigating behind her, stopping as she put the suitcase she had down. She felt under a certain brick in the wall where Auggie had told her a key would be waiting, and then the door opened, and she stepped through. He followed her movement, and she stopped again, looking around.

"It's narrow and we have an upstairs. It's like a little plaster box inside, with bright windows. But, Auggie, this is the best part: the outside has nothing on the colour of it in here."

Auggie laughed. What could be more perfect than crazy pastels to delight Annie, and that he never had to tolerate even once? "Tell me."

She turned him to face where she was pointing. "The kitchen is a bright soft yellow. And the trim is like a seafoam-green. Do you remember that colour?"

"I don't know if I ever _knew_ that colour," Auggie grinned. "I'll just imagine I know. Okay, go on."

Annie turned Auggie again. "The sitting room is yellow leading into cotton-candy-pink. And then that far wall going into the hall is seafoam-green again. It's kind of like a pale greeny-blue."

"Well, I _do_ remember cotton-candy-pink," Auggie said, shaking his head. "This is incredible. What else?"

"There are all sorts of circular wall decorations. And some framed pictures. Here," she moved him over a bit and placed his hand on the edge of a wooden credenza along the wall. He felt along it as she said, "I'll be right back with the rest of the luggage and we'll have a look around this happy little place."

Auggie could not stop the smiling. He thought his face might hurt from it all. It had finally started to feel normal again to be able to smile so easily. For the last year and a half, it had been a strain to smile. It was all an act, a forced kindness when he didn't feel the energy it took to smile.

And hearing Annie just giggle as she looked around again kept the smile strong. "I take it you like this?" he asked her.

"I love it," she said, putting her hand on his chest. "I'm so happy right now."

"We could do this," Auggie said, thinking out loud. And then he realised that was too much. They couldn't think about changing everything and just doing this. They both needed to go back. "I mean, we can do all of this. It's going to be fun."

"You actually sound like you mean that," she laughed.

"I do!" he protested. "Why would you think I won't have fun? I like fun. I _love_ fun."

"You just barely cut loose," she said. "I've seen you come _**close**_ to fun."

"Are you _kidding me_?" Auggie said. "I am crazy fun."

"When was the last time you had fun?"

"I recall a rather brazen snowball fight in Austria."

"Uh, okay. And?"

"And... I enjoy sailing and _marco polo._"

"Okay. But I have seen you neither sail nor swim."

"Well, it's a bit cold," Auggie said.

"Unhh huh."

"I _love_ fun," Auggie stated again, laughing.

"What about horseback riding?"

Auggie took a deep breath, finding her shoulders. "I'll try whatever it takes," he said seriously.

"Whatever it takes for what?"

"To make this our best."

"Best what?" Her smile had faded and was replaced with concern.

"Best _everything_. We can't go back until we are able to clear all the negatives out. We can't pile anything new on top of broken bits. Foundations need to be strong."

Annie leaned in and Auggie readied his lips for her. "Come on, then, let's get to know this place that is going to start our second chance."

Auggie took off his messenger bag, taking his cane from it, and found the edge of the credenza, pushing the leather bag onto it. He opened his cane and put his hand out for Annie. She took it, wrapping her own around it, walking forward with him to explore the little cottage together.

"I'm looking forward to watching you have fun, Auggie."

"Are you saying I'm uptight?"

"Not at all. You have the best sense of humour of anyone I know. It's just... you're pretty by-the-rules. Okay, there's a huge vase here on the floor, should we move it?" She bent down, touching the edge of the clay pot so Auggie could see it. He slid his hand down, feeling it, finding the distance between it and the wall.

"I'll get used to it," he said."

"I'm gonna pull it into this corner," Annie said, and Auggie felt the vase being pulled away. He stood up and listened to her shifting it in the corner. "There. You'll know it's there easier than here."

"Thanks, Annie," he said. "So, you think I am incapable of having fun?"

"Not at all. I've seen glimpses of your potential to have fun."

"Name one."

"Well, when you told the Night Before Christmas to my nieces. And when you apparently, according to Danielle, were swamped by a bunch of school kids, some even riding on your back. That's two. Here is the sofa. There is a small, square coffee table right in front of it. No, I totally know you're capable of fun. I'm just saying I never really saw it very much. You have too much to think about, Auggie. Always in charge."

Auggie finished checking out the chairs and tables and they moved back to the wall.

"I have a lot to keep track of," he said. "At work _and _at home. It's a never-ending watch."

"I don't want you to have to concentrate so hard on keeping everything going. I want you to relax, let me take some of it on. And let the rest go for a while. Stairs. Um. Twelve. They're narrow, and there's a hand rail on the right." She let him go up first.

"I am gonna _show_ you just what an endearing amount of fun I can be. Now what colour is it up here?"

"You are not gonna believe this," Annie said.

"Plaid?" Auggie asked.

She walked with him over to a window on the back of the house, which faced the water. The window was large, and the sun nearly resonated in the room as it was setting.

"It's open up here. It's all one room. And feel this." She put his hand on a heavy rope that came down from the ceiling a few metres back from the wall. He followed it down and his hands felt a cushion. He explored it, his face brightening as he realised what it was."

"A swinging chair inside the house?

"Who was the operative that made this place up?" Annie asked with a hint of awe in her voice.

Auggie stood up. "Joan."

"Joan? Are you serious?"

"She was here... a long time back now, before I went to Iraq. She stayed here. It started as an op, but I think she came back. I didn't ask her, I waited for her to tell me. It was after a few things had happened, you know..."

"The Balkans," Annie said.

"Not my story to tell," Auggie said. "But she didn't tell too many people about this place. I think she may have rented it out to vacationers, just to keep it safe. I didn't know anything about it until she offered it to me, and I didn't plan on coming here until we were already to Istanbul. Then it hit me that it might be the perfect place for us to go, too."

Annie sat in the suspended seat and pulled Auggie to join her as the sun warmed them in it's path down to the horizon.

"I still have a lot to learn about you all," she said.

"You're learning. We're all learning, all the time. Nobody knows everything."

"You seem to know quite a bit of everything."

Auggie smiled thoughtfully. "You are right about some things. I do need to relax a little bit. I've been very uptight and short with people that didn't deserve it."

"Remember the days of chilling at Allen's?" Annie asked, brushing a curl off his eyebrow.

Auggie nodded. "It was okay then, wasn't it?"

"We need to start that again. If not Allen's, then somewhere. Get some others together, you know, make it okay, so we can all see we have a lot of the same problems, and that at the end of the day, we're all there together, happy."

"Nothing would make me happier."

"And you don't need to hit on college girls to get a ride home anymore."

Auggie laughed at her playful tone. "Thank God. Some nights I never got home."

"I'll just bet," Annie said. "Come on; wanna see the rest of the room?"

"I could sit here all night."

"But you can't even see the sun setting. For all you know, we could be facing a wall."

Auggie grinned. "Warmest wall I've ever met." He turned toward her, reaching behind her shoulders and pulling her in. He touched her cheek with his other hand, and she leaned in to his kiss.

"This is more _fun_," he insisted as he kissed her again.


	20. Chapter 20

**I own no part of Covert Affairs. I covet all parts of Covert Affairs. I mostly covet Auggie. #Disclaimer**

Chapter Twenty

"Oh, come on, Auggie, _fun_, remember? You're going to be it."

Auggie was going to protest, he opened his mouth to do so, but it hadn't materialised. He closed his mouth and faced her.

He felt her hands creep around his shoulders and that sexy smile in her voice when she replied to his near-argument. "You backing out on me, Soldier?"

"Okay. Fun. Right. I'm fun." He tried to look ready and expectant, but all he got was a laugh and Annie open-palmed his shoulder and moved around him. He followed her movements and then he reluctantly asked. "What is it I'm fun at?"

"Exploring."

"Well, I do have the market cornered on exploring. And what might you be wearing today?" He gave her smirk and reached his hand out toward her, which she immediately slapped playfully.

"I'm wearing a jacket because it's chilly. Or at least, I will be."

"Where are we going?"

"I just thought we'd walk around this pretty little town under the castle."

Auggie nodded. "Sounds good to me. And then, we need to get to that castle."

"Do we?"

"Uh, Annie? It's a castle."

Annie laughed. "You are a Romantic, Auggie,"

"When in Italy," Auggie said, turning, putting out his hand for the wall. He followed it until he found his leather jacket hanging next to Annie's and he grabbed them both. He turned back to her and she moved over, taking her jacket and kissing him. He smiled, putting his hand on her shoulder, and leaning back from her.

"Let's go meet our neighbours," he said.

They wandered through the cobblestone streets, keeping clear of bicycles and cars and the odd horse. The first horse they met, Auggie stopped Annie, listening to the hooves approaching on the cobblestones. He turned, following the horse with his ears as it went by. An old sound, not one he could remember hearing in real life before, but one that was as distinct and as familiar as any sound could ever be.

He realised that he was standing with his eyes closed, a goofy grin on his face. He opened his eyes and turned back to Annie, smiling at her, slightly embarrassed. "Are you watching me?" he asked her, when she had said nothing to him.

"Yes," she replied.

Auggie felt a pang of dislike for this answer. But coming from her, it sounded different. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I like to watch you listen." She sounded almost shy. She started walking again, so Auggie had a moment to process this without her staring right at him.

"Why?" was all he could come up with.

"I don't know, Auggie," she laughed, trying to shrug it off. "It's just you, it's your way. It makes you different."

"Oh, it's different all right."

"But just different, Auggie. Not bad. Different enough that it makes me want to watch you and feel smug and proud that you're with me," she gave him.

"You've always been unpredictable," he said.

"Not to you."

"Well, I... I'll leave that unanswered." Annie patted his hand as he raised his head as if to look around at the buildings. "What colour are we at now?"

"Orange. Peach. Another peach. And on our right, a blue and a yellow." She continued to describe the passing views as they moved around the village. The higher on the hill they climbed, the more Annie could see the river Temo and its shimmering waters. Annie kept her descriptions flowing, and Auggie soaked her words in as his mind made colours and pictures to go with them.

"I'm hungry," Annie said, all of a sudden.

"That's because it's lunchtime," Auggie said. "Everyone's cooking. I can smell it." He grinned. "It just takes hold. I'm hungry, too. Let's go down, and meet the local lunchtime gang."

Annie laughed. "Lead on, Soldier," she said, turning him around.

The best scents were coming out of a little gold building with a blue awning over the door. The door jangled as Annie opened it, holding it for Auggie to come through behind her.

"Wow," she said, quietly.

Auggie listened around him to the sounds of frying and iron pans hitting cookers, voices and laughter.

"It smells so good," Annie added to her comment.

"That I got," Auggie said, lifting his nose and taking in the spices and the smell of bread.

"There are about fifteen people staring at us," Annie whispered through clenched teeth as she smiled.

"We're new. We're a whole new show. We kind of stand out, I think."

Annie relaxed, turning to him. "Ya think?"

Auggie just smiled that wicked little grin that always made her laugh.

"Okay, come on, table or counter?" He felt her turn back to look at the room again.

"Which looks promising?"

"Tables over on the far side."

"Get us there, then." Auggie followed as she manoeuvred them through the tables and chairs and patrons, and as they were taking off their jackets to sit, a stocky older man came over with menus and glasses of water, smiling at them.

"_Buongiorno. Cosa vi posso portare_?"

Auggie spoke before Annie could open her mouth. "_Buongiorno, come va? Siamo in vacanza in questo posto bellissimo. Può dirci i piatti del giorno_?"

He heard the gasp that was followed by an incredulous laugh, and he flashed a grin at her. He had been waiting for this.

The kind Sardinian, who told them his name was Ambrosu, took their orders for the specials: soups, salads, and flat bread, and headed back to the kitchen behind the counter.

"Auggieee?" said Annie, the smile evident in her voice.

Auggie quirked his lip and his eyebrow into a twitch in her direction, keeping quiet.

She waited him out. He shrugged one shoulder. "I was in Italy for a long time. I needed to know how to say some things."

"Right," she said. "Helen."

"Right. Helen."

"So, you speak Italian, then," she verified.

"I can speak _some_ Italian. If I need to."

"Say something else."

He laughed. "Annie, you speak Italian. I can't amaze you, you're way more fluent then I am."

"_Dimmi_ _qualcosa in italiano_," she demanded. "I wanna hear it."

Auggie set his face toward her and narrowed his eyes. It didn't feel right, all of a sudden, his intimate knowledge of Italy and the language. Not now, with Annie in front of him. He thought of Helen, of his time in Italy with her, how much he'd loved her. He'd married her for an op, it was true, but it had not just been an op. He'd fallen in love with her. She had been in love with him, or so he thought, and even though she'd told him last year that it was true, the foundation of that time had been shaken. It had shaken him to find out she was still alive then, that she'd lied to him, and that Arthur had lied. That they had all been secretly meeting while he sat, unknowing, back at his tech ops desk. It had shaken him that Annie had followed in Helen's footsteps after seeing how it had affected Auggie, even though he knew she hadn't actually died. It felt the same when Annie had ignored his wishes, his needs, his begging her not to do it, and it felt the same being left in the wind. Helen brought up a whole mess of issues for Auggie that he didn't want to think about, not now, not in Sardinia with Annie, when he should be grateful. Annie, unlike Helen, _had_ come back to him on her own. She had _not_ pretended to be dead to him. She had _not_ left him in the dark when she had the choice to come back. She was still here.

"_Tu hai fatto di me l'uomo più felice della Sardegna e il profumo di questo cibo l'uomo più affamato della Sardegna._" He winked at her and waited. He had not wanted to make his statement as heavy as it truly was. She had made him so happy. He was so happy with her. The happiest man in Sardinia. The clinking of the plates around him and the delicious smell of cooking food had reminded him he was the hungriest man in Sardinia, too, and he didn't want to make this time too deep, too heavy, for a lunch time conversation.

"_Ti amo_, Auggie," she said quietly.

"Me, too," he replied, two words with much emotion behind them.

"It's orange and cream-colours in here," Annie said, pulling them both back into the present. "A mix of sun and nautical feeling. Makes me want to eat lots."

"Good marketing," Auggie grinned. "Makes no impact on me." He shrugged. "But I'm sold on the smells, and they are winning in that department, too."

"So you want to go to the castle, there, Hun?" she asked, as if tolerating a child's request, teasing him.

He smiled. "I am all for castles. I'm a nerd, Annie, remember. Castles are huge in nerd culture."

"Please don't tell me you played Dungeons & Dragons when you were young."

"Okay. I won't."

"You didn't!"

Auggie shook his head, faking perplexed. "You said not to tell you. I'm not telling you."

"You're such a dork sometimes."

"I'm a dork all the time, Annie. I just cover it with my cool suave exterior."

"So how many languages _do_ you speak, Auggie? I mean, we all know I'm all over the languages, but we never discussed your little talent there. You just keep surprising me."

"That's what this little journey is for, Annie. To learn some real things about each other. To not have missions and all that crap coming in and taking our time away from us before we get the chance." He leaned forward, his hand sweeping carefully across the table in front of him, locating the water glass, taking a drink. "I can speak a bit of several. Not like you. I never studied any. I just picked some things up, from being in the places."

"So? What languages?"

"I feel stupid for even telling _you_, Miss Internationals. You're the one with the mad skills."

"I know you speak Italian. And Farsi. And Spanish." Annie prompted him, answering her own question. "Oh, and nerd, totally fluent in nerd."

Auggie laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh," Annie said. "And Turkish. Auggie, you are practically a language expert. You realise this, right? Does Joan know this? Of course she must. Does she use this skill of yours? She must have. Arthur obviously did."

"Chechen." Auggie muttered. "Don't forget that."

She was silent again. He hated when people were silent, when they were thinking thoughts as they looked at him, and he couldn't know what they were. Annie was good, but there were times even she couldn't tell him what she was thinking in the moment.

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I don't have the knack and the intent that you do. I just learned it because I had to."

"I think you have a knack for everything," Annie said to him. "You're pretty smart."

"Sometimes."

"So, I'll just bet you've done your research on that castle and you are going to educate me when we go up, aren't you? I'm starting to get your travel style, here. You always know your stuff."

"Ah, someone once told me I'm a bit of a dork, and I can't say they were wrong."

"Thank God. I love your history lessons."

"I'm glad," Auggie said, reaching his hand over to her, which, of course, she took. A warm smile bloomed on his face. Her mere touch filled him with love.

"Me, too. I learn so much from you, I always have."

"You don't need to learn from me, Annie. You've outgrown my teaching."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because. You were my operative. And you outgrew that role. You didn't need me like that, anymore, guiding you through it."

"I always need you to guide me through it, Auggie. Don't you know this yet? When I stopped letting you be my handler, when I went out on my own, everything went wrong for me. I need you to be behind me, I need you. I have realised this since all that happened. Whenever I ignored your advice, things got darker and deeper. And I started resenting that you were always right. And so I went further to prove I didn't need to listen to you, to show you, to show Joan, to show _me,_ that you weren't needed. I was so wrong."

It was Auggie's turn to be quiet. "Annie, I tried so hard to get you to listen, and then... after all, I knew you were past that. Were past me."

"I wasn't."

"When we go back," Auggie said, squeezing her hand tight, "We probably shouldn't work together like before."

"No, Auggie, that's what I need to do. We need to. This is what I want, why don't you want it, too?"

"I do, I did. But you can't be expected to-"

Annie put both her hands over his hand, and Auggie put his other hand up, which she took. "August Anderson. What I'm saying to you is that we are a team. You are my handler at work. And you actually handle me at home." To this Auggie chuckled, letting her go on. "When we work together, when we are a team, we are amazing. We always got our task completed. And it was me thinking on my feet, and it was you thinking on your feet. I always called you to see if my instincts were right. You always backed me, or helped me, or gave me my next plan."

"Yeah, but you stopped doing that, Annie. You stopped calling me, and you stopped asking me, and you stopped listening. It frustrated me so much. I mean, I knew the relationship had gone to hell, but the work relationship was what we had. It was what worked. And it stopped working, and I felt... like I was punching a brick wall."

"I... think I listened to Henry Wilcox too much. I started to question you. And then, when some of the secrets came out... but Auggie, none of those secrets were as bad as he let me think. He messed with my mind so much. I lost time because of him. I lost you because of him. I lost my job, I lost my life. And I was wrong, I was wrong for letting him take me from you, and for letting him put those thoughts in my head. I wanted to come back so badly, but the longer I was away from you, the harder it was to come back to you with all that mud all over me.

"I want to work with you again. As a team. With you in my ear, checking on me, keeping my facts in check, sending me the intel, doing all that magic you do. I get lost otherwise. I... I love this job, Auggie, but I realise that I stopped loving it after I left you behind. I started needing it instead, I was obsessed with it."

She didn't break contact with him, her hands stayed wrapped around his.

"Auggie? I want to be a field agent. I want to do good work, like we used to. I want you to be behind me. Joan always said we needed each other. You miss the field work, I know, because I had a taste of that now. I know it hurts to watch the rest of us go out the door with our dossiers in hand... but Auggie, no-one does what you do like you do. I've had other handlers, and they were not you. I felt lost. I've spoken to other people who have been in the field with you as their handler. They all say the same thing. You know your stuff. You know the field, firsthand. You know how to turn assets, you know how to break in and get intel. You know all of that because you were good. You still _are_. Why else would Joan put you back out there sometimes? You have the skills and you can pass them on to us. I won't ever stop learning from you, Auggie. I just need to start listening again. I'm so sorry, Auggie. I really am. I don't want to be out in the field without you. Please, can we talk to Joan?"

Auggie's mind was racing, trying to catch up with her words. He had a moment to think, as Ambrosu returned with their food. Annie let go of his hands and he sat back, putting a smile on his face for their man.

Being her handler had brought them together in the first place. But it also had been the nail in their coffin.


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm just going to say I don't own Covert Affairs or its characters, it's all owned by USA Network. I **_**won't**_** say how angry and upset I am with them. I think we all know.**

Chapter Twenty-One

"_Ciao, Auggustu, Ciao Annabella_," said Ambrosu, taking Auggie's hand and shaking it, then kissing Annie on both cheeks. When he had come to bring them their cheque, he's asked where they were staying, and how they were enjoying it. By the end of their conversation he had their names and their favour. They promised him they would be back very soon.

Back out in the afternoon white sun of February, they fastened up their jackets and set back up the hill towards the castle.

"You're quiet," Annie said, as they walked.

"No, I'm listening. There's a difference."

"Is there?"

"There is for me."

"Are you upset about what I said?"

Auggie paused for a second. "No, Annie, I'm not upset. I'm just... concerned. We're just starting to get... this... back, and work is a whole other thing. I mean, I am not sure if going back to what we were is the best idea. Just... let me think about it for a bit, okay? It's not that I don't love you being my operative. I loved it more than anything. But things happened, and it's taking me some time to work them out."

"I'm sorry."

"No, Annie, stop." He didn't mean physically, but she did anyway. He kept his hand on her arm but he faced her. "Stop saying you're sorry. We're both sorry. We've apologised, we've forgiven. Right? We're past that part."

He heard her take a deep breath and let it out. "Okay. But-"

"I'm thinking about it, okay? I'm thinking about it, and I'm not mad, and I'm not upset. Just, let's not talk about it right now."

"Okay." She sounded unsure.

Auggie took his hand off her elbow and trailed it up her arm to her shoulder and then to her cheek.

"We're on vacation. We'll have to deal with that stuff soon enough. But right now, it's all about the fun, right?" He smiled at her, feeling her cheek raise under his hand as she smiled back. He leaned forward, keeping contact with his hand, kissing her gently. He felt her relax and respond, kissing him back. "You okay?" he asked her.

"I'm okay."

"We're okay, Annie. No doubts about us, there. I'm never letting you out of my life again."

Annie took his hand off her cheek and kissed it, placing it back on her elbow. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Glad that's settled," he said as they started walking again.

"Okay," Annie said, taking a breath as they climbed the narrow streets flanked on either side by tall coloured structures. "Give it to me. Give me the dossier on the castle."

"Apparently the view is amazing."

"Okay. This is hopefully not the reason why you chose this."

"Well, I think most castles have amazing views, pretty safe bet. But, no, the view is a bonus for you. I'm here for the history. I'm hoping what happened in Ireland happens here."

"You really liked that, didn't you?"

"It was so weird. It was like I could feel history. I don't know how to explain it. It's always happened for me but I really didn't think it would happen anymore. But it does... it's even stronger in some ways, how much I feel that history. It's in the air."

"That's so beautiful," Annie said.

Auggie smiled. Quiet for a moment, he realised he already could feel the history of this place, coming back to him from the soles of his boots, from the closeness of the walls above him, with their recessed doorways and terraces. He would never have guessed that he could get so much information from methods he had ignored for the first quarter-century of his life.

"1112 A.D.," he announced. "Commissioned by the Marquis Malaspina. The main tower in the keep was built in 1300. They fortified it in fear of attack by Aragon. Mostly all that's left is the walls and the towers. But inside there is a little chapel, the _Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Regnos Altos._" He let the name roll off his tongue for her approval. "Inside that are fifteenth-century frescoes, which are also for your enjoyment, and a wooden statue of Madonna and Child, which is good for my viewing pleasure. It's a virtual cornucopia of delights."

Annie chuckled at this, and it made his grin wider. "That's your primer. Now it's over to you. I gave you your dossier; you give me your report at the top."

He felt her pat the hand on her elbow. "You got it, Captain," she said.

"I haven't been a Captain for a long time," Auggie stated.

"Oh, once you're a Captain, you're always a Captain, Auggie, you know that. Just ask Captain Kirk."

And Auggie laughed out loud, not expecting that answer at all. "Okay," he said.

They wove their way up the hill, along the narrow route that circled and wound back. They took shortcuts through narrow alleys when they could, and then Annie told Auggie they were coming out of the houses, it was the last rope of road around the summit. There were a few roads up the last part of the slope, but instead of houses and business and alley ways, there were trees and dry grasses mixed with rock and scrub.

"It looks huge from here," Annie said. "It's very imposing." She stopped, and Auggie heard the camera on Annie's phone clicking.

Auggie raised his face, feeling the breeze that had picked up a little since they'd left the bottom. He got no sense of the castle above him. It was invisible. But he felt Annie leaning back, taking it in, and it pleased him in that way.

"It has all the things you need in a castle. A crenellated turret tower with the parapet walk around the outer wall. It doesn't look like there's an actual shape. It's kind of just a random circle with some parts less round than others. I think they just built with the land. There's a projected tower and... I think there's one on the back, too. It looks like the wall goes all the way around. Ooh, Auggie, I'm getting so excited!" He felt her hand reach over and clutch his wrist, and she almost shivered.

Auggie tried to contain his grin, but she was too excited, too delighted, too pleased with genuine anticipation.

She looked at him, patting his hand again. "I haven't really done this since before I joined the Agency. Dad took Danielle and me places when he had time. I really like this, Auggie. You're giving me a lot to take with me here."

"I want you to take all of this with you. You need to remember there's a world outside Langley. It's fraught with danger, but it's also filled with amazing, truly awesome places and things and people. Your vision got pretty narrow, there, Annie, and I just wanted to get it back."

"Damn it, Auggie, stop being so romantic. I don't know if I can handle any more."

Auggie smirked at her. "Don't worry, I'm sure you will be saying I should be _more_ romantic in due time. Then I want you to remember this."

"Then I'll ask you why you can't be romantic like you are now. You've set yourself a pretty high standard here, Bud."

Auggie made a face. "I did not plan ahead well, did I?" he said.

' "I think you probably have everything planned well," she said. "Okay, we've got just a bit further; up around the back, I think. Y'all right?"

Auggie nodded with a smile. "M'good," he said, and they made it up the last leg to the castle. She took him to the wall, which had crumbled in places over time, and was fortified with huge cement braces. Auggie's hand was placed, open, against the stone. He scanned over it, reaching up as high as he could."

"How tall?" he questioned.

Uhhh," she was looking up. "I'd say a good thirty feet, at least."

Auggie tried to imagine that, but he couldn't any more. That struck him as slightly funny, but he said nothing. He then pictured five of himself laying on a floor and counting how many steps that was. That worked.

"That's pretty high," he said. "Do you think we can break in?"

"They aren't open now, Auggie," she said. "I think you need an appointment in the off sea-"

Auggie grinned as he felt her turn around at the sound of a car door over in the park. He listened as footsteps drew near, his smile breaking wide open.

"Mr. Anderson," said the new voice.

Auggie stepped forward. "I think we are pretty close for time, aren't we?" He shook the man's hand, and then turned to Annie. "I kind of called the tourism department already."

"So _that's_ why you were so adamant to come up here today, Buster. You and your... okay, so now we don't have to bring in the siege towers, thank God."

The man graciously invited them to join him and he explained to them the history of the castle, which made Annie laugh. Auggie just kept his concentration on Annie's enjoyment and his own footing.

Inside the walls of the castle, Auggie felt a change. The world was encased somehow, but not. He could feel the walls rising, but the open sky above him. He reached his hand out, and stepped back toward the stone wall, his cane tapping against it. He moved toward it, making contact with his hand, feeling the stone under it. Nine-hundred years. Soldiers and kings, bakers and tanners, fishermen and vendors, all had busied the inner bailey of these walls. He tried to imagine, he could see it in his mind's eye but it still didn't seem real. He turned. His companions were both silent. Watching him.

"Annie?"

"Here, Auggie. Want to go up?"

He stepped back toward his voice, and felt Annie's hand brush his. "You bet," he grinned. "Let's go. Get your camera ready."

They followed their personal tour guide, who spoke perfect, accented English.

"They've put steel railings up, Auggie, so you won't fall off," Annie said to him, guiding him carefully up the reinforced stairway to the top of the wall. He could tell she was being ever-watchful, without making it obvious to him or anyone around him. He could feel her body turn, or when she was in front of him, he could tell she was turning to him from the sound of her voice.

Auggie was careful. He was glad there was a railing, which Annie guided his hand to. He made his way along the top of the wall, feeling the breeze lifting his hair. He tried to imagine standing sentinel on this wall, being so high on the hill as to see any invaders approaching. He tried to imagine the rise of excitement and fear as battle became imminent. He followed Annie's voice and the handrail.

"We're coming to a turret," Annie said. That one I told you about? We're almost there."

"Can I touch it?"

"We'll be right inside it," she informed him.

Auggie smiled.

When they made it to the tower, Auggie was able to check the walls again, and feel the shape of the stone battlements. Canons. Boiling oil. Arrows. These stones had seen much action. How had they stood so long? How had they not crumbled to time, weather and war? They were built strong; they were deep and built to last.

That was how he wanted this foundation with Annie. He wanted to build it strong enough to withstand all invasions and attacks. Strong so that it would last through all kinds of bad weather. Strong so that they could protect each other within the walls of their relationship.

They moved forward, heading around the perimeter of the wall.

"Can you tell how high above the town we are?" Annie asked him.

He shook his head. It just sounds open. I can't hear much but that little wind. Where is the river?"

Annie took his arm and placed her hand over his hand, like she did the night she showed him the constellations, her finger resting along his, pointing the river out to him.

"There is the town, and the road winds alllll the way up... we took some short cuts." She moved his finger, mapping the lay of the town for him. "It looks so amazing. Like a little toy town."

"Does it go all the way around?" Auggie asked, turning to refer to the other side of the castle.

"No, it's just down to the water here on this side. The rest is just woods and scrub and open places. Like at the top of the hill. There is a bigger hill on each side of us. It is all rock formation up there, not anything weird, I can see it now. There are boats on the water and it's sparkling in the afternoon sun. It's so beautiful." She turned, "—Auggie."

"It's okay," he said softly to her, smiling. "Take it in."

"I want to do this first," she said, stepping toward him and putting her arms around his neck. He kept his right hand on the railing, but he wrapped his left around her, still holding his cane, as she kissed him deeply.

"The sentinels didn't have this," he teased her gently. "Or they'd have missed all invasions." He kissed her back tenderly.

The tour continued along the battlements and towers of the wall, until they again descended inside the castle. The guide began explaining again about the chapel and Annie led Auggie behind him, keeping her hand clutched around the one he had clasped on her elbow.

Auggie was able to touch the Madonna and Child statue, and Annie did her best to describe the frescos to him. He could feel the ambiance of the little chapel, and it filled him with its presence. He wasn't sure what it was, the smell, the weight of the history, the echo of the chamber, but there was something he could feel. He let go of Annie's arm and walked around the space, sweeping his cane slowly, taking his time to feel everything. His cane tapped against a wall and he tentatively put out his hand to the plaster. He assumed if he was near any of the artwork they would have warned him. He closed his eyes and set his mind on the wall under his hand.

After a while, Annie approached. He dropped his hand and moved toward her, his hand out. Hers enclosed over it and he smiled.

"Feel it yet?" she asked.

He smiled at her, genuinely happy. "I did. A few times, actually."

"Do you have your castle-fill for the day? Shall we venture back down the hill? We'll get our appetites just cranking here."

"The walking is good for us. I, for one, appreciate what it does for your legs."

"You're just referring to _my_ legs, though, aren't you?"

"Preeeetty much," Auggie admitted.

They thanked their guide profusely, and Auggie passed him a neatly folded wad of bills. He protested Auggie's gesture, but Auggie insisted. It was twice what the off-season tour rate was, and he knew the man could use it. He had done this in such short notice, so Auggie felt it only right to make it worth his while to give a whole tour for one sighted woman and one blind man.

Annie took some more pictures as they went back down, and Auggie could feel the air change, he wasn't sure if it was the sound, or the big blocks of no sound that were the buildings that tipped him off. Annie stopped to tie her boot lace and Auggie rested his hands on his cane, waiting. He could feel the muscles in his legs pinging from the walk. He felt very at peace on the way back from the castle. There was something about those old historic places that he could feel on his skin and in his ears and through his nose. He'd never noticed any of it when he could still see. He'd noticed it first when he'd fled to Istanbul the first time and found himself in a Mosque during prayer, or walking in the centre of the square. There was something about history that he could feel, and it changed how he wanted to travel the world.

Annie stood back up. "You look pretty thoughtful," she told him.

"That's me," Auggie said. "Full of thoughts."

"Can I ask?"

"You can. But I might not tell you."

"You always have to tell me. New rules, remember?"

"It's not always so bad, Annie," he said, simply. He gave her a little smile. "There are some good parts, too."

He didn't have to say any more. She knew what he meant. She pulled his arm around her and he drew her close, there in the winding cobblestone streets of Bosa.

"I believe you," she said.


End file.
